The meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin “could be the first step” to peace in the Ukrainian conflict, said defense secretary John Healey.
He added that the United Kingdom was ready to “put boots on the ground” in Ukraine to strengthen a cease-fire, in the event of an agreed.
However, he also said that the government was ready to “intensify economic sanctions and pressure on Putin if he shows today in Alaska, he is really not serious”.
Trump described the summit, which should start at 8:00 pm BST, as a “rescue meeting” and said that his goal was to “set the table” for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
Trump said he thought that the president of Russia “was not going to play with me”.
He added that there was 25% chance that the meeting did not “succeed”.
Before leaving Washington DC for conferences, the American president posted on social networks: “High stakes !!!!”
In response, Zelensky said discussions should “open a real path to just peace”.
“We are counting on America,” he added.
Trump hopes to be able to end the war, which started when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, costing enormous loss of life on both sides.
The American president said that any resolution should involve “giving and taking” boundaries between the two countries.
Ukraine insisted that the famous territory would be unacceptable, while Russia wants to keep control of the land it has entered, including Crimea, and also wants insurance that Ukraine will not join the NATO military alliance.
Like Zelensky, European leaders were not invited to Reunion in Alaska, but sought to influence the American president during a joint phone call on Wednesday.
Asked about BBC Breakfast if the role of the United Kingdom was to “watch and wait”, Healey said: “No, the role of the United Kingdom is to stand with Ukraine on the battlefield and in negotiations, and prepare what we have been, leading 30 other nations with military planning for a cease-fire and a secure peace will.”
The Coalition of the Will is a group of around 30 mainly European countries that have undertaken to defend a peace agreement in Ukraine.
Healey said that more than 200 military coalition planners have been working in recent months “making detailed planning for the ceasefire”.
He said that multinational forces were “ready to act from the first day” adding: “Military plans are over”.
“We are ready to put British boots on the ground in Ukraine in part to reassure the Ukrainians.
“But also in part to secure the safe sky, the sure seas and strengthen the strength of the Ukrainian forces, because ultimately the best deterrence against Russia … Relaunching their aggression against Ukraine is the strength of Ukraine to stand up.”
Asked about what would happen if Russia attacked British troops when they were in Ukraine, Healey said he would not discuss hypotheses.
However, he added that there were “important principles” and that the British forces would have “the right to defend themselves if they were attacked”.
Liberal-democratic chief Sir Ed Davey said he was “skeptical” about Trump’s ability to achieve a “positive result” for Ukraine.
He told journalists: “I hope there is a positive result, that we want peace and that Ukraine obtains the justice it deserves.
“But I don’t have much hope that it will happen, I am skeptical about Donald Trump’s ability to bring this back.
“And finally, the problem is that Ukraine is not at the table, you cannot ask another country to negotiate another country. It is Ukraine that should make the decision of what is acceptable to Ukrainians.”
Zelensky visited British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday. After the meeting, Zelensky said that the pair had discussed arms partnerships, including investment in drone production and a hundred years partnership, which should be ratified this month.
