Rubio says Ukraine may need to do ‘difficult things’ to get peace deal

Meanwhile, world leaders will take part in a virtual meeting on Saturday (UK time) to work out how to support Ukraine should a ceasefire deal be reached.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host what he has called “a coalition of the willing” – a group of mainly European and Commonwealth countries.

Downing Street on Monday said the exact participants had yet to be confirmed, but officials last week said that “about 20” countries, including Australia, were holding talks about how they might support Ukraine if fighting stops. They also could include the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, plus Canada, and possibly Spain, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Zelensky posted on X ahead of talks that Ukraine had been “seeking peace since the very first second of the war”, adding that Russia was the “only reason” the war continued.

“I am grateful to every unit and every brigade defending Ukraine’s positions, ensuring the destruction of the occupiers, and making every effort to provide our country with the strength needed to bring peace closer,” he said.

Ukraine is expected to propose an aerial and naval truce with Russia during the Saudi Arabia talks – something Zelensky has previously described as a chance to test Moscow’s commitment to ending the three-year war.

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Rubio said he saw promise in a Ukrainian proposal for a partial ceasefire.

The Kremlin has lashed out at European efforts to interfere with the peace process, threatening Australia if it commits resources to a peacekeeping force while labelling the UK as again acting as “the main instigator” of global conflict, also blaming it for starting both world wars last century. Downing Street said the suggestion was “completely farcical”.

Military officials from more than 30 different countries, including Australia, will take part in a summit in Paris on Tuesday to discuss the creation of an international peacekeeping force. Not all countries are prepared to offer troops but could provide logistical or “backfilling” for UK or French troops currently deployed in other theatres.

Both Spain and Denmark announced on Monday they were drawing up plans for various levels of involvement.

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Government sources told Madrid’s El País newspaper that while the official position on troop deployments was to “wait and see”, the nation’s Defence Ministry was working on several scenarios, including the deployment of military observers and training staff.

Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have been working to repair a rift after US President Donald Trump ratcheted up the pressure on Kyiv to agree a ceasefire since the Oval Office bust up with Zelensky that resulted in the US cutting off military and intelligence support to Ukraine.

France and Britain are also thought to have persuaded a long list of nations to join the military talks, including leaders from Japan and South Korea, who will join remotely.

A Downing Street spokesman said each of the meetings this week would progress planning but no one should “get ahead of proposals being made public”.

Starmer has stressed the need for the US to provide a “backstop” security guarantee, a commitment to intervene if a European-led peacekeeping mission comes under threat.

Officials have warned of a “chicken and egg” situation where European and Commonwealth nations will not promise troops without US guarantees, but Trump will not make commitments unless Europe steps up to defend itself.