European leaders mull new sanctions on Putin, UK government says

The leaders are weighing additional sanctions to ramp up pressure on Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission's President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, Finland's President Alexander Stubb and NATO's Secretary General Mark Rutte, at the Ukrainian Embassy, in Washington, DC, US., Aug 18, 2025. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

The British government said on Tuesday European leaders were weighing additional sanctions to ramp up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of a broader push to put an end to the war in Ukraine.

The government said the so-called Coalition of the Willing, which met virtually on Tuesday, had agreed that their planning teams would meet with US counterparts in the coming days to advance plans for security guarantees for Ukraine.

They would also discuss plans to "prepare for the deployment of a reassurance force if the hostilities ended", a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said.

They added: "The leaders also discussed how further pressure – including through sanctions – could be placed on Putin until he showed he was ready to take serious action to end his illegal invasion."

Ukraine and its European allies have been buoyed after US President Donald Trump told President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday that the United States would help guarantee Ukraine's security in any deal to end Russia's war, though the extent of any assistance was not immediately clear.