Starmer Says He’s Ready To Send British Troops To Ukraine

Sir Keir Starmer has said that he is “ready and willing” to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine to enforce any peace deal.

The British Prime Minister announced that the UK is ready to play a “leading role” in providing security guarantees to Kiev and deploy troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission, should a ceasefire agreement with Russia be reached.

His announcement at a summit in Paris has now put pressure on European leaders to do the same.

The Telegraph reports: t is the first time he has explicitly said he is considering deploying British peacekeepers to Ukraine, and comes ahead of a meeting with European leaders in Paris on Monday.

The emergency gathering was called by Emmanuel Macron, the French president, after it emerged that European leaders had not been invited to early Ukraine peace talks between the US and Russia, and senior members of Donald Trump’s administration signalled that US security support for Europe would be scaled back.

Sir Keir’s decision to speak out will put pressure on allies – especially a reluctant Germany – to publicly back the idea of a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine. The Prime Minister also suggested Britain could play a “unique role” as a bridge between Europe and the US in the Ukraine peace process.

The foreign ministers of Russia and the US will meet in Saudi Arabia on Monday to kick off talks over a peace agreement.

Ukraine has not been invited to the negotiating table and Sir Keir warned against cutting Kyiv out of the talks, likening it to the US decision to cut the Afghan government out of negotiations over the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

He wrote: “The UK is ready to play a leading role in accelerating work on security guarantees for Ukraine. This includes further support for Ukraine’s military – where the UK has already committed £3 billion a year until at least 2030.

“But it also means being ready and willing to contribute to security guarantees to Ukraine by putting our own troops on the ground if necessary. I do not say that lightly. I feel very deeply the responsibility that comes with potentially putting British servicemen and women in harm’s way.

“But any role in helping to guarantee Ukraine’s security is helping to guarantee the security of our continent and the security of this country. The end of this war, when it comes, cannot merely become a temporary pause before Putin attacks again.”