Europe must “step up” its defence capabilities to face the “generational” security challenge posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said.
It comes after he said he was “ready and willing” to put UK troops on the ground in Ukraine to help guarantee its safety after a future peace deal.
Sir Keir is due to attend a meeting in Paris, where European leaders will discuss concerns over US-Russia talks on ending the war that will lock out the continent.
US and Russian officials are to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, without representatives from Europe or Ukraine attending.
“We need to step up in terms of our collective response in Europe, and by that I mean capability,” Sir Keir said.
“By that, I mean playing our full part when it comes to the defence of the sovereignty of Ukraine if there’s a peace agreement.”
The prime minister had earlier said he was willing to send UK soldiers to Ukraine to secure a possible peace deal in the country.
It means British troops could be deployed alongside soldiers from other European nations in a peacekeeping role along the border between Ukrainian-held and Russian-held territory.
But the former head of the British Army, Lord Dannatt, said this would come at a “considerable cost” and require an increase in military funding.
The UK currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence. The government has committed to increasing defence spending to 2.5%, but has not said when this will be achieved.
Speaking in Bristol, Sir Keir told reporters that the government would set out a path to meeting the 2.5% commitment once it finishes its strategic defence review.
“Part of my message to our European allies is that we’ve all got to step up on both capability and on spending and funding,” he said.
“That includes the UK, which is why I’ve made that commitment to spend more.”
Sir Keir will later meet leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark, along with the presidents of the European Council and European Commission, and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The emergency summit was arranged over the weekend in response to concerns over US-Russia talks on Ukraine that will not include Europe.
The meeting was arranged over the weekend in response to fears over US-Russia talks on Ukraine that will not include Europe.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv did not know about the talks and would not recognise any agreement made without its involvement.
European leaders also expressed concern after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth last week said it was “unrealistic” to expect Ukraine to return to its pre-2014 borders and downplayed the prospect of Ukraine joining Nato.
Sir Keir has said Ukraine’s path to Nato membership was “irreversible”. A Downing Street spokesman said the prime minister will tell Monday’s summit to “take on a greater role in Nato”.
This means “further supporting Ukraine’s military” as well as “being ready to contribute to security guarantees by putting our own troops on the ground if necessary”, the spokesman added.
Fighting on the ground in Ukraine continued over the weekend, with at least three civilians killed in Russian strikes on Sunday, according to local authorities.
Several areas of Ukraine are under emergency blackout following attacks on energy infrastructure, while Russia’s defence ministry said it intercepted and destroyed 90 Ukrainian drones on Sunday night.