The UK is ready to spend “well over” £100m on a possible deployment of British forces to Ukraine if Donald Trump secures a peace deal with Russia, the defence secretary has said.

John Healey also said Vladimir Putin views Britain as his “number one enemy” because of the country’s support for Ukraine.

The defence secretary’s plan includes the preparation of military personnel to join a multinational force that would be sent to help secure Ukraine’s borders if the US president brokers a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv.

He signalled British troops could be ready to deploy as soon as that happened and he said this could include soldiers on the ground.

Some of the anticipated money to prepare for any mission is already being spent.

The defence secretary also warned of a “new era of threat” and said the risk of wider conflict in Europe has not been as great since the end of the Second World War.

Mr Healey used a lecture at Mansion House in London to talk about efforts led by the UK and France to build a “coalition of the willing” of more than 30 nations to form what he called a “Multinational Force Ukraine” over the past six months.

This force would help to secure Ukraine’s skies and seas and train its troops if Russia agrees to halt its full-scale war.

“So, as President Trump leads the push for peace here in Europe, we are ready to lead the work to secure it in the long-term,” the defence secretary said.

“For our Armed Forces, I am already reviewing readiness levels and accelerating millions of pounds of funding to prepare for any possible deployment into Ukraine.”

Asked how much money, he said it would be “well over” £100m.

Mr Healey trumpeted the UK’s support for Ukraine, including a record £4.5bn in assistance this year, and taking over from the United States in co-chairing a wider group of nations that have been sending weapons and money to Kyiv.

“This is why President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy calls the UK his closest ally,” he said.

“This is why Putin ranks Britain as his number one enemy.”

But he warned that as Russia’s aggression grew in Ukraine and beyond its borders, “Britain and our NATO allies stand more unified, and stronger”.

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Giving a stark verdict of the security landscape, Mr Healey said: “This is – undeniably – a new era of threat. The world is more unstable, more uncertain, more dangerous. Not since the end of the Second World War has Europe’s security been at such risk of state-on-state conflict.”

He said this required what he described as “a new era for defence”.

He said: “This is now an age for hard power, strong alliances and sure diplomacy.”

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The defence secretary said plans for the new era would include increasing defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 – though critics have accused the UK and other European allies of playing smoke and mirrors with the target, questioning how much will really be spent on weapons and troops.

“As I look ahead to the rest of this decade, our task, in this new age of hard power is to secure peace in our continent and to forge stronger deterrence and resilience, a New Deal for European security,” said Mr Healey.

Turning to the Middle East, he also announced the UK was sending a two-star military officer to work as the deputy to the US commander, charged with monitoring the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

A number of “priceless” objects were stolen from the Louvre in Paris, in what has been called the “theft of the decade”.

In broad daylight, thieves broke into the world-famous museum and accessed a gallery containing the French Crown Jewels.

A manhunt for those responsible is currently ongoing, with police facing a “race against time” to retrieve the jewels before they are dismantled.

Here’s all you need to know.

How the heist unfolded

The heist took place at roughly 9.30am (8.30am UK time), half an hour after the Louvre had opened its doors to the public.

The thieves used a crane that was mounted on the back of a small truck to smash an upstairs window and enter the Galerie d’Apollon.

This is an enormous room on the upper floor of the Petite Galerie, which houses the French Crown Jewels as well as the royal collection of hardstone vessels, paintings, tapestries and medallions, the museum’s website says.

The thieves smashed two display cases and fled on motorbikes. No-one was hurt in the incident.

Guards were alerted to the scene by alarms that went off when the cases were smashed, but the thieves had already left.

It is not clear if the gang brought any or all of the equipment they used with them, as construction work is taking place along the River Seine side of the building where the break-in occurred.

The entire theft took between six and seven minutes.

What was stolen?

A total of nine objects were targeted in the heist, and eight were actually stolen. The thieves dropped the ninth one, the crown of Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugenie, during their escape.

Officials have described the stolen items as having “inestimable” historical value.

The following pieces remain missing:

What will happen to the jewellery?

Art detective Arthur Brand described the heist as “the theft of the decade” – adding that in order to recover the “priceless” items, police will need to find the culprits within the week.

“These crown jewels are so famous, you just cannot sell them,” Mr Brand told Sky News. “The only thing they can do is melt the silver and gold down, dismantle the diamonds, try to cut them. That’s the way they will probably disappear forever.”

He continued: “They [the police] have a week. If they catch the thieves, the stuff might still be there. If it takes longer, the loot is probably gone and dismantled. It’s a race against time.”

Tobias Kormind, managing director of Mayfair-based 77 Diamonds, agreed, saying it is “unlikely” the jewels will ever be seen again.

“Professional crews often break down and re-cut large, recognizable stones to evade detection, effectively erasing their provenance,” he said.

Authorities have said forensic teams are currently reviewing CCTV from the Denon wing and the riverfront of the museum, inspecting the crane used to reach the gallery and interviewing staff who were on site when the museum opened.

Who was behind the heist?

According to French media, there were four perpetrators: two dressed as construction workers in yellow safety vests on the lift, and two others who had a scooter each.

French authorities have not confirmed these details; however, one yellow vest has been recovered from the scene.

Culture Minister Rachida Dati told French news outlet TF1 that footage of the theft showed the masked robbers entering “calmly” and smashing display cases containing the jewels. No one was injured in the incident.

She described the thieves as seemingly being “experienced” with a well-prepared plan.

Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau told BFM TV that the robbers were unarmed but threatened guards with angle grinders.

The group also tried and failed to set fire to the crane they used to enter the Louvre.

A key question that remains is whether the robbers had inside assistance, authorities said.

French interior minister Laurent Nunez said the specialised police unit, which has a high success rate in cracking high-profile robberies, is leading the investigation.

Ms Beccuau added that investigators were keeping all leads open, but authorities were “looking at the hypothesis of organised crime”.

She said the thieves could have been working for a buyer, or seeking to get access to jewels that can be useful to
launder criminal proceeds.

Questions over security

Big questions are now being asked about the security in place at the Louvre, and how effective it is.

Earlier this year, officials at the Louvre requested urgent help from the French government to restore and renovate the museum’s ageing exhibition halls and better protect its countless works of art.

French justice minister Gerard Darmanin said on Monday that the heist gave a very negative image of France as it implied a failure of security services.

“There are many museums in Paris, many museums in France, with priceless values ​​in these museums,” Mr Darmanin said in an interview with French radio station France Inter.

“What is certain is that we failed,” he said, adding the police will eventually arrest the authors.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X that everything was being done to recover the stolen jewellery and bring the perpetrators to justice.

While culture minister Rachida Dati said the issue of museum security was not new.

“For 40 years, there was little focus on securing these major museums, and two years ago, the president of the Louvre
requested a security audit from the police prefect. Why? Because museums must adapt to new forms of crime,” she said.

A cargo plane has skidded off the runway into the sea while landing at Hong Kong International Airport, killing two people on the ground.

Images taken after the crash which happened around 3.50am (8.50pm UK time) showed a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft partially submerged in water near the airport’s sea wall.

The AirACT plane, travelling from Dubai, could be seen with escape slides deployed and the nose and tail sections separated. Four crew on board survived.

Two security staff were killed when the aircraft struck their vehicle, shunting it into the sea, said Steven Yiu, executive director of airport operations at Airport Authority Hong Kong.

At a news conference, he told reporters about the rescue operation.

“Four aircraft crew on board were quickly rescued by Fire Service Department [which] also rescued two security staff from the sea.

“One was certified dead at the hospital and the other certified dead at the scene.

“We are deeply saddened and extend our deepest condolence. We will provide the family with all necessary support and assistance.”

He explained that the security vehicle was patrolling the north runway along a road that was outside the runway fence when it was struck.

The northern runway at the world’s busiest cargo airport is closed while the south and central runways are continuing to operate.

“According to information we have at that moment, weather and the runway condition were safe and met all conditions for runway operation. An investigation is continuing.” Mr Yiu added.

Emirates said in a statement that flight EK9788 sustained damage on landing in Hong Kong on Monday and was a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft wet-leased from and operated by ACT Airlines.

“Crew are confirmed to be safe and there was no cargo onboard,” the airline said.

Read more from Sky News:
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Man Ka-chai, chief accident and safety investigator for Hong Kong’s Air Accident Investigation Authority, confirmed air
traffic control had directed the flight to land at the north runway, but added: “We didn’t receive any message requesting
help from the pilot.”

ACT Airlines is a Turkish carrier that provides extra cargo capacity to major airlines. It did not respond immediately to a request for comment outside normal business hours.

Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 said the aircraft involved in the accident was 32 years old and had served as a passenger plane before being converted into a freighter.

Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department said in a statement that the aircraft had “deviated from the north runway after landing and ditched into the sea”.

Airport Authority Hong Kong said the northern runway would reopen after safety inspections were complete.