Keir Starmer held calls with Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump and other European leaders ahead of high stakes in-person talks between the US President and Vladimir Putin on Friday

There were also fears that Friday's meeting could result in the US and Russia imposing a peace deal on Ukraine against its will. Convincing Mr Trump to speak with Mr Zelensky in today's video-conference was seen as an important breakthrough, but Ukraine, the UK and other European nations remain frozen out of the key talks.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that there can be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine. He mentioned that a "coalition of the willing" is prepared to deploy "stabilization forces" when the time is appropriate,