Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday he had urged Kyiv's Western allies to give "a clear position" on security guarantees including about a potential foreign troop contingent on Ukrainian soil with a US backstop.
His comments came after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a virtual call with other European leaders and allies, including Zelenskiy, where Starmer said a "coalition of the willing" would help secure Ukraine "on the land, at sea and in the sky" in the event of a peace deal with Russia.
"We need to continue working on the contingents that will form the foundation of Europe's future Armed Forces," Zelenskiy said in a post on X with an image of himself taking part in the call.
"Peace will be more reliable with European contingents on the ground and the American side as a backstop."
Starmer has also called for a US security backstop to help secure a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine in the three-year-old war.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he supported in principle US President Donald Trump's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine, but that Russia would fight on until several crucial conditions were worked out.
Zelenskiy urged European leaders to dismiss Putin's opposition to European peacekeepers in Ukraine and blamed the Russian leader for stalling peace efforts.
"A ceasefire could have already happened, but Russia is doing everything to prevent it," he said.
Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 307 of their service personnel on Saturday on the second day of a prisoner exchange that, when completed, is set to be the largest such swap in the three-year war between the two countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested the prisoner swap - which should see 1,000 prisoners released on each side over three days - could herald a new phase in stop-start efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv.
Saturday's swap was announced by Russia's defence ministry, and separately by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a post on social
French police were investigating a possible arson attack as being the main cause for a power outage which hit the Alpes-Maritimes region in southern France on Saturday, including Cannes which is hosting its world-famous annual film festival.
Russia launched dozens of attack drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight in one of the biggest combined aerial attacks on the Ukrainian capital of the three-year war, damaging several apartment buildings and injuring at least 15 people.
Rescuers on Friday pulled out all 260 mine workers who had been stuck for more than 24 hours in an underground shaft in South Africa, the mine's operator said.
The Trump administration issued orders on Friday that it said would effectively lift sanctions on Syria, after President Donald Trump this month pledged to unwind the measures to help the country rebuild after a devastating civil war.
Dubai Press Club has unveiled the full agenda for the Arab Media Summit 2025, which will bring together the region’s most influential voices in journalism, digital content, and communication to chart a new future for the region’s media.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai's Crown Prince and the UAE's Deputy Prime Minster and Defence Minister, has emphasised that empowering young Emiratis with future-ready skills is key to building a sustainable, knowledge-driven economy.