LONDON, March 2, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - UK leader Keir Starmer said Sunday that "Europe must do the heavy lifting" in securing peace in Ukraine, as he indicated that several countries were ready to help defend any truce.

The British prime minister also again called for US backing to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from violating any ceasefire, following talks with more than a dozen leaders in central London.

"Europe must do the heavy lifting, but to support peace in our continent, and to succeed, this effort must have strong US backing," Starmer told reporters after the meeting.

The UK premier and France's President Emmanuel Macron have said they are prepared to deploy British and French troops to Ukraine to help preserve the peace in the event an agreement is signed to end the war.

The pair are leading attempts to put together a group of countries who would contribute in different ways to the effort, referred to as a "coalition of the willing".

"A number of countries have indicated today that they want to be part of the plan that we are developing," said Starmer, without naming the nations.

"I'll leave them to make their own statements about exactly how they want to make that contribution," he added.

Starmer said that those willing "will intensify planning now with real urgency".

"Not every nation will feel able to contribute, but that can't mean that we sit back," he added.

US President Donald Trump has yet to commit to any security guarantees but Starmer added that discussions were on the basis "that it will have US backing".

"I would not be taking this step down this road if I didn't think that it was something that would yield a positive outcome in terms of ensuring that we move together, Ukraine, Europe, UK and US," he added.

Starmer also said the America was "not an unreliable ally".

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni appeared to downplay the possibility of Italy contributing peacekeepers, saying "the presence of Italian troops in Ukraine at this stage has never been on the agenda".

"I see this as a solution that risks being very complex and probably less decisive than others," she said.

Starmer also announced a deal allowing Ukraine to use £1.6 billion ($2 billion) of UK export finance to buy more than 5,000 air defence missiles.