Countries cant be forced into Ukraine peace coalition, minister says

Countries cannot be "dragooned" into joining a coalition aimed at protecting potential peace in Ukraine, Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden has said.

The UK and France have been spearheading efforts to establish a "coalition of the willing" to deter Russia from further invading Ukraine, in the event of a peace deal.

Earlier this week, UK officials said about 20 countries were interested in being involved although not every nation would necessarily send troops to Ukraine.

Speaking to the BBCs Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, McFadden said the government wanted other European countries to "step up" and there were ongoing discussions, but added "its their decision, theyre sovereign countries."

Norways foreign minister Espen Barth Eide told the same programme his country was "happy to contribute in one way or the other but we have not made choices".

"We need to know what is it that is there to be secured first," he added.

Russia has rejected the idea of seeing western troops in Ukraine saying it "cant be allowed".

Next week, the US and Ukraine will meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss a possible peace agreement.

The US has suspended military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine, in a move it hopes will put pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to a ceasefire.

In recent days, Russian attacks on Ukraine have intensified and Saturday saw 25 people killed in strikes including six children in the Donetsk Region.

US President Donald Trump has had a fractious relationship with Zelensky, which dramatically played out in front of cameras when the two men clashed in the Oval Office.

Trump later said he was finding it "more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine" than Russia in attempts to broker a peace between the two nations.

UK ministers have avoided criticising the Trump administration and McFadden told the BBC he still considered the US to be a "reliable ally".

Asked how UK ministers were handling the style of the new US president, McFadden said: "I think one of the lessons from it probably is not to react immediately to everything that is said.

"I think thats been the right thing to do."

He added it was "in the British national interest to maintain a strong alliance with the United States.

"Its long, its deep, its based on many, many things. Its been there for many years. We want to maintain that and that guides what we do."