Countries cannot be “dragooned” into the so-called coalition of the willing by the UK, a senior minister has said.

Pat McFadden said nations have to “step forward themselves” if they want to be part of the group of nations willing to defend a peace deal in Ukraine amid uncertainty about US security guarantees under Donald Trump.

Responding to reports that Norway, which shares a border with Russia, may not join the group, Mr McFadden said it was “fair enough” for countries to decline the invitation.

It comes after Sir Keir Starmer said Australia was considering “contributing” to the coalition, which he welcomed, after a phone call with Anthony Albanese, its prime minister.

Asked by the BBC how many countries would be willing to join the coalition, Mr McFadden, the Cabinet Office minister, said: “These discussions are going on, I think it’s important to have European countries involved in this.

“Of course, ‘coalition of the willing’ means people have to be up for it. They have to step forward themselves, they can’t be dragooned by us.

“But the UK and the Prime Minister are playing an important role in those discussions, and will continue to do that.”

Espen Barth Eide, Norway’s foreign minister, had earlier told the BBC that his country was “happy to contribute in one way or the other but we have not made choices”.

He added: “We need to know what is it that is there to be secured first.”

‘Hundreds of attacks’ after US withdraws intelligence

Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to lead a group of Western countries supporting Ukraine in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as US president, in the hope that Europe can shoulder the burden of the war.

Mr Trump has withdrawn all military aid and intelligence sharing to Kyiv, calling on Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, to engage in peace talks or face a permanent US withdrawal.

Downing Street has been evasive about the nations willing to join the effort to run a peacekeeping coalition, despite announcing that about 20 countries would take part.

Not all the countries interested in the plan would necessarily provide troops to a peacekeeping force, it is understood, but other contributions would be welcomed.

On Sunday, Mr Zelensky said that Russia “has carried out hundreds of attacks” this week, in the wake of the US withdrawal that has left Ukrainian forces flying blind.

The withdrawal of American intelligence has made it more difficult for Ukrainian troops to aim their munitions at Russian targets.