British troops could be deployed to Ukraine to enforce any peace deals, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed ahead of a crunch meeting with European leaders
Keir Starmer has confirmed he is “ready and willing” to send British troops to Ukraine to help keep the peace if a deal is signed.
The announcement is the first time the Prime Minister has suggested that UK troops might be deployed to the war-torn nation. It comes hours before a crucial defence meeting with other European leaders in Paris on Monday.
Mr Starmer will attend the crisis summit tomorrow, called by French President Emmanuel Macron, as concerns grow among European leaders about Donald Trump’s plans to negotiate a peace deal with Vladimir Putin over Ukraine. Many fear any settlement will result in Russia keeping the territory it currently holds after three years of fighting, and will not involve any US troops being deployed on peacekeeping missions – something which will be seen as a geopolitical victory for the Kremlin.
At the Paris talks, Britain is expected to encourage other nations – including Germany – to help form a joint European taskforce of troops, should a deal be reached over Ukraine. The UK will also continue to provide support to the Ukrainian military.
Writing in the Telegraph, Mr Starmer said: “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.”
He also wrote that Britain’s decision to take a leading role in protecting the security of Ukraine is the “right thing to do for the values and freedoms we hold dear” and is “fundamental to our own national security”. Mr Starmer will also be meeting Mr Trump in the coming days, and said he will be “working with him and all our G7 partners to help secure the strong deal we need”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he will only agree to any peace deal that involves his country at the negotiating table. He told the Munich security conference last week: “I will meet with Russians – with only one Russian guy, with Putin – only after we will have a common plan with Trump, Europe. And we will sit with Putin and stop the war. Only in this case I’m ready to meet.”
