UK willing to send troops to Ukraine to enforce peace deal

The U.K. is willing to send troops to Ukraine to enforce a peace deal with Russia, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in an article for The Telegraph.

The Prime Minister wrote on Sunday that he had not taken lightly the decision to put British troops “in harm’s way.” This marks the first time he has indicated he is considering deploying British peacekeeping forces on the ground in Ukraine.

“The U.K. is ready to play a leading role in accelerating work on security guarantees for Ukraine,” Starmer said. “But it also means being ready and willing to contribute to security guarantees for 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,” the Prime Minister added.

The announcement comes one day before European leaders are set to discuss security issues during an emergency summit in Paris. PM Starmer is expected to attend the summit, calling it a “once-in-a-generation moment for our national security,” according to BBC News.

The decision to go public before the Paris meeting was partly influenced by U.S. statements at the Munich Security Conference, where U.S. officials indicated that Europe would need to take on a greater role in its own defense, according to The Telegraph, citing a source familiar with the discussions.

Starmer had also recently spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the call, the Prime Minister reaffirmed that “there can be no talks about Ukraine, without Ukraine,” and reiterated the U.K.’s support for Ukraine for as long as necessary.