British Prime Minister ready to send troops into Ukraine
The British Prime Minister declared his readiness to send troops into Ukraine, putting pressure on European leaders to do the same at the Paris summit on February 17.
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According to the Telegraph (UK), British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared that he is "ready and willing" to send British troops to Ukraine to enforce any peace agreement.
In an exclusive article for the Telegraph, Prime Minister Starmer said he was not making the decision to consider sending British troops "into danger" easily. This was the first time he had explicitly stated that he was considering deploying British peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, and he made this statement ahead of a meeting with European leaders in Paris on February 17.
An emergency meeting on the Ukraine issue was convened at the request of French President Emmanuel Macron, following reports that European leaders were not invited to the first peace talks on Ukraine between the US and Russia, and that senior members of President Donald Trump's administration had signaled that US security assistance to Europe would be cut.
Prime Minister Starmner's decision will put pressure on allies, particularly Germany, to publicly support the idea of a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine. Prime Minister Starmner also suggested that Britain could play a "unique role" as a bridge between Europe and the US in the Ukrainian peace process.
According to the Russian newspaper Kommersant, high-level delegations from the United States and Russia are expected to meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 18th. The US delegation will be represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Walz, and the US President's Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
Ukraine was not invited to the negotiating table, and Prime Minister Starmer warned that Kyiv should not be excluded from the talks, likening it to the US decision to exclude the Afghan government from negotiations on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
Mr. Starmer said: “The UK is prepared to play a leading role in accelerating security for Ukraine. This includes providing additional support to the Ukrainian military – where the UK has committed £3 billion a year, at least until 2030. But that also means being prepared and willing to contribute to Ukraine’s security by deploying British troops if necessary. I’m not saying that easily. I feel very deeply the responsibility that comes with potentially putting military personnel at risk.”
"But any role in helping to secure Ukraine helps to secure our continent and the security of this country. The end of this war, when it comes, cannot be just a temporary pause before Russia strikes again," said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.