The summit, which included 29 international leaders, was organized by the U.K. with the purpose of creating a “coalition of the willing” that could secure Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia.

Starmer’s proposed peacekeeping contingent would include around 10,000 troops, mostly provided by the U.K. and France, U.K. military sources told the Sunday Times. Thirty-five countries have agreed to supply the peacekeeping mission with weapons, logistics, and intelligence support.

The peacekeeping mission will be “a significant force with a significant number of countries providing troops and a much larger group contributing in other ways,” a senior government source said.

In addition to European nations, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand joined the call, as did NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

The proposed force of 10,000 is significantly smaller than the 30,000 troops Starmer reportedly pitched to U.S. President Donald Trump during their White House meeting on Feb. 20.

Previously, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that European partners would need to station 100,000 to 150,000 troops on Ukraine’s front lines to effectively deter Russia.

U.K. defense sources told the Guardian on Feb. 18 that a much smaller European-led peacekeeping force could instead rely on intelligence, surveillance, and long-range monitoring to enforce a ceasefire.

Following the virtual summit, Starmer announced that “troops on the ground and planes in the sky” would provide security guarantees for Ukraine following a future peace deal.

The allied coalition will hold a second round of military talks on March 20, Starmer added.

While France and the U.K. have been the most vocal about sending troops to Ukraine, some countries, including Italy and Finland, have expressed reservations. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attended the summit and vocalized support for Ukraine, but said that Italy does not plan to participate in the proposed peacekeeping force.

The summit followed an eventful week of diplomacy, as Kyiv agreed to a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the U.S. on March 11. While the the Kremlin said it was ready to agree to the U.S.-backed ceasefire, it demanded that Kyiv limit military mobilization and training in addition to the West halting military aid to Ukraine.

Speaking on CNN on Sunday, Witkoff said he had a “positive” meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that lasted between three and four hours.

Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Thursday to present Putin with the details of the truce proposal agreed by American and Ukrainian officials.

“We had some really positive results coming out of Saudi Arabia, discussions led by our National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and our Secretary of State Marco Rubio. I describe my conversation with President Putin as equally positive,” the envoy added.

“Back before this visit, there was another visit, and before that visit the two sides were miles apart in where they were. The two sides are today a lot closer.”

Witkoff, a real estate mogul and long-time associate of Trump, has recently taken on significant diplomatic roles, including efforts to negotiate peace in the Ukraine conflict. He led the talks in Moscow after Russia reportedly requested that Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, be removed from the negotiating process over his pro-Ukraine views. Commenting on the matter, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Moscow has no intention of becoming involved in internal American affairs, so it’s up to Washington to decide who to appoint.

On Saturday, the US president clarified that Kellogg will be responsible for talks with Kiev.

Putin voiced support for a possible 30-day ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict but raised concerns about its implementation. He also granted Ukrainian forces encircled in Russia’s Kursk Region time to surrender, assuring them that their lives would be preserved and they would be given dignified treatment.

Still, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga stated in an interview on Saturday that Ukraine’s forces in the region will continue their operations.

Kiev claims sovereignty over Crimea, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions. The territories officially became part of Russia after referendums in 2014 and 2022. Moscow has maintained that their status is non-negotiable.

Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, Waltz said that a potential settlement to the Ukraine conflict “is going to be some type of territory for future security guarantees” for Kiev.

According to the official, an alternative in the form of NATO membership for Ukraine “is incredibly unlikely.” Ukraine has demanded accession to the US-led military bloc whereas Moscow views Kiev’s NATO aspirations as a root cause of the ongoing conflict.

Attempts to “drive every Russian off of every inch of Ukrainian soil, including Crimea” would be unrealistic at this point, Waltz believes. The ongoing diplomatic efforts spearheaded by the US should focus on the “reality of the situation on the ground,” the national security adviser argued.

Also on Sunday, in an interview with Fox News, Waltz stated that “we are engaging in diplomacy, and that will involve both carrots and sticks to get both sides to the table.” When asked whether US President Donald Trump was prepared to “punish” Russian President Vladimir Putin with more sanctions if he rejected a ceasefire, Waltz replied that “all options are on the table.”

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed that representatives from Washington and Kiev had “had conversations” on the issue of territorial concessions during the talks in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on Tuesday. The diplomat argued that “neither side can militarily achieve their maximalist goals.”

He similarly predicted that “obviously, it’ll be very difficult for Ukraine in any reasonable time period to sort of force the Russians back all the way to where they were in 2014.”

Following the negotiations in Jeddah, Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire.

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, traveled to Moscow on Thursday to present Putin with the details of the proposal.

The Russian head of state welcomed the ceasefire in principle but insisted on addressing several salient issues first, including the fate of the Ukrainian troops encircled in Russia’s Kursk Region.