Sir Keir Starmer has said he is “ready and willing” to put UK troops on the ground in Ukraine to help guarantee its security as part of a peace deal.
According to the British prime minister, a lasting peace in Ukraine is “essential if we are to deter Putin from further aggression in the future,”
Sir Keir said the UK was prepared to assist in giving Ukraine security guarantees by “putting our own troops on the ground if necessary” before heading to Paris on Monday for an emergency summit with European leaders.
He said, “I do not say that lightly,” in the article published in the Daily Telegraph. “I feel a great sense of accountability for potentially putting British servicemen and women in danger.”The prime minister went on to say, “But any role in helping to guarantee the security of Ukraine is helping to guarantee the security of our continent, and the security of this country.”
The end of Russia’s war with Ukraine “when it comes, cannot merely become a temporary pause before Putin attacks again,” said Sir Keir.
The United Kingdom may be stationed alongside soldiers from other European nations along the border between territory held by Russia and Ukraine.
Sir Keir’s announcement came after Lord Dannatt told the BBC that the UK military was “so run down” that it could not lead any future peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.
Only once before has the prime minister hinted at the potential use of British forces to defend Ukraine after a ceasefire.
According to him, a “US security guarantee is essential for a lasting peace, because only the US can deter Putin from attacking again” prior to his planned meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington later this month.
Sir Keir is meeting with other European leaders in response to concerns that the United States is pursuing peace talks with Russia that will exclude the continent.
In the next few days, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, according to US officials.
U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg said Saturday that European leaders would only be consulted and would not take part in any talks between the United States and Russia.
A senior Ukrainian government official told the BBC on Sunday that Kyiv has not been invited to take part in the US-Russian negotiations.
Later this week, following a lengthy meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump announced that negotiations to end the “ridiculous war” in Ukraine would begin “immediately”.
Then, Zelensky was “informed” about Trump’s plan.
Trump said on Sunday that he expected Zelensky to be involved in the talks. He also announced that he would allow European nations to buy U.S. weapons for Ukraine.
Trump merely responded that “we are working to get it done” when the BBC questioned him about his timeline for resolving the conflict, blaming the war on the previous administration’s actions regarding Ukraine.
According to Sir Keir’s article in the Telegraph, “Peace cannot come at any cost” and “Ukraine must be at the table in these negotiations, because anything less would accept Putin’s position that Ukraine is not a real nation.”
“We cannot have another situation like Afghanistan, where the US negotiated directly with the Taliban and cut out the Afghan government,” he added, referring to a deal struck during Trump’s first administration and subsequently carried out by the Biden administration.