PM Keir Starmer has announced he is ready to deploy “boots on the ground and planes in the air” for securing peace
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed the UK is ready to deploy troops to Ukraine in an effort to secure peace as part of a previously announced “coalition of the willing.”
Speaking before Parliament on Monday, Starmer said that Kiev’s backers must not settle for “a weak deal” like the Minsk accords, urging the Western allies to “keep the military aid to Ukraine flowing” and ramp up economic pressure on Russia.
The prime minister reiterated his willingness to deploy “boots on the ground and planes in the air,” asserting that “Europe must do the heavy lifting to secure peace on our continent.” However, he added that for this effort to succeed, it must have strong US backing.
“Britain will lead from the front for the security of our continent, the security of our country, and the security of the British people,” he declared.
Asked by Tory MP Andrew Murrison whether it would be “utter folly” for Britain or EU countries to deploy troops to Ukraine without security guarantees from Washington, Starmer agreed.
He also said that he sees a Ukraine minerals deal as an insufficient US security promise.
At an emergency summit in London on Sunday, Starmer announced that the UK and France are ready to lead a “coalition of the willing” to provide military support to Ukraine, including the deployment of troops and aircraft, aiming to secure Kiev’s positions once a peace deal with Moscow has been reached. The summit was convened following Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s disastrous trip to Washington.
Trump on Monday criticized European leaders for admitting at the summit that they needed US support to deter Russia. “Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?” he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump once again lashed out at Zelensky for the latter’s statement that the war with Russia was very far away. “It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing…” Trump wrote.
Moscow has strongly opposed the deployment of Western troops to Ukraine, warning that without a UN mandate, they would be considered legitimate targets. It has also repeatedly ruled out temporary ceasefires similar to the failed Minsk agreements, insisting on a permanent, legally binding deal that addresses the root causes of the conflict. The Minsk ceasefire, which was ostensibly intended to freeze the conflict between Kiev and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, was in fact only “an attempt to give Ukraine time” to build up its strength, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted in 2022.
Moscow and Washington are currently engaged in the process of Ukraine-related peace talks.
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