UK and Allies Pledge Support for Ukraine Before and After Peace Deal

The UK and its allies have pledged to support Ukraine both before peace talks and after any future deal, according to Defence Secretary John Healey. Speaking in Kyiv ahead of a Paris summit of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, Healey said Western nations will help secure Ukraine’s skies, seas, and land. He also confirmed that Britain has transferred £1bn worth of seized Russian assets into military aid, describing it as “Putin’s dirty money returned with interest.”

The Paris meeting, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, will focus on security guarantees for Ukraine. Officials say this could involve continued training and equipping of Ukrainian forces, as well as possible deployment of European troops to deter future Russian aggression. However, the plan hinges on a ceasefire agreement  something Moscow has consistently resisted.

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President Vladimir Putin, speaking in Beijing, suggested peace talks were possible but repeated demands that Kyiv reject discrimination against ethnic Russians, one of the justifications he has used for the invasion. He also mocked the idea of meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky, dismissing it as pointless. Healey, however, insisted that Russia is under pressure and praised U.S. President Donald Trump for keeping talks open despite criticism of his approach.

While allies prepare for negotiations, conditions on the ground in Ukraine remain grim. Russia has escalated its aerial campaign, launching more than 500 drones and 24 cruise missiles in a single night this week. Civilians across Ukraine were forced into shelters as air defence systems tried to repel the strikes. Casualties continue to mount, with one recent missile strike in Kyiv killing 22 people, including four children, in one of the deadliest attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion.

The devastation has hardened Ukrainian anger toward Moscow. Survivors have described scenes of chaos as apartment blocks were reduced to rubble. One resident, Ihor Maharynsky, lost his wife when their fifth-floor flat was struck. He said there were no military targets nearby and accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians. Like many Ukrainians, he is furious at Donald Trump for hosting Vladimir Putin in Alaska last month, saying such gestures reward aggression rather than restrain it.

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Despite Macron’s push to secure lasting peace guarantees and Trump’s claim that Putin has been brought into talks, most Ukrainians see no chance of a deal in the near term. For them, peace talks remain empty words while Russia’s bombs continue to fall.