Putin rejects Europe's plan to put boots on the ground in Ukraine as peace prospects thrown into doubt

The Kremlin has poured cold water on the European commitment after leaders from the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ formally vowed to deploy troops "by land, sea or air" if a ceasefire deal is reached.

It comes after French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a summit in Paris with 35 other countries from the coalition on Wednesday, where Sir Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump dialled in.

Mr Trump recently suggested that the US would "probably" be willing to provide air support, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with Mr Trump about receiving "maximum protection for Ukraine's skies".

But, ceasefire hopes have been thrown into doubt after Putin’s meeting with the US President in Alaska last month did not lead to any significant developments.

Now, those prospects are looking further away after Moscow insisted no Western forces should be deployed to Ukraine, making clear Russia should be one of the countries acting as "guarantors" – which Kyiv and its allies have rejected.

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Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, told Russian state media: "Can Ukraine's security guarantees be ensured and provided by foreign, especially European and American, military contingents? Definitely not, they cannot."

And few countries have openly pledged to put boots on the ground in the face of a deal.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir has argued the West has a US-backed "unbreakable pledge" to Ukraine and can force Russia to end the war, according to a Number 10 spokeswoman.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Wednesday night, Mr Trump warned Putin "you'll see things happen" if he makes decisions the US President disagrees with.

Putin told journalists in Beijing on Wednesday that the war in Ukraine was close to ending, claiming there is "light at the end of the tunnel".

The Russian leader made the comments after joining China's President Xi Jinping and North Korea's Kim Jong Un for a huge military parade in the Chinese capital.

"I believe that, if common sense is there, it is possible to agree on an acceptable option or acceptable way of ending this conflict," he said.

"We see also that the current administration of the US has the will and desire to find this solution.

"I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We will see. Otherwise, we will be forced to resolve all our objectives through military means."

But his comments have been dismissed as dishonest by experts who say the president is attempting to present Moscow as interested in peace talks.