LONDON: The United Kingdom is ready to send troops to Ukraine as security guarantees for the authorities in Kiev in order to settle the conf...
LONDON: The United Kingdom is ready to send troops to Ukraine as security guarantees for the authorities in Kiev in order to settle the conflict, Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote in an article for The Daily Telegraph.
"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 ($3.8 billion - TASS) 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," the prime minister said.
"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," Starmer pointed out.
According to him, the issue of Ukraine's future is "existential for Europe as a whole." In this regard, European countries need to increase spending on their own defense, Starmer added. "We have got to show we are truly serious about our own defence and bearing our own burden. We have talked about it for too long - and [US] President [Donald] Trump is right to demand that we get on with it. As European nations, we must increase our defence spending and take on a greater role in NATO," the prime minister emphasized.
Peacekeepers in Ukraine
According to The Daily Telegraph, Starmer has for the first time explicitly stated that he is considering the idea of sending a UK military contingent to Ukraine. The newspaper noted that the prime minister's comments are intended to put pressure on other European capitals, particularly Berlin, to send troops to Ukraine after the fighting ends. The newspaper added that Starmer decided to publicly support sending troops there in light of statements made by US officials at the Munich Security Conference.
The Daily Telegraph underscored that it is still unclear what the so-called peacekeeping forces of European countries in Ukraine might look like. According to the newspaper, these troops could be deployed not on the front line, but behind the backs of Ukrainian servicemen, who would be stationed directly on the new Russia-Ukraine border. European leaders are expected to discuss the proposal at a meeting in Paris on February 17.
Upcoming contacts with Trump
Starmer also emphasized that Europe and the US should work together to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine. He said he intends to meet with Trump in the near future to discuss US security guarantees for Kiev.
"US support will remain critical and a US security guarantee is essential for a lasting peace, because only the US can deter [Russian President Vladimir] Putin from attacking again. So I will be meeting President Trump in the coming days and working with him and all our G7 partners to help secure the strong deal we need," the prime minister wrote.
Starmer also reiterated London's position that peace in Ukraine "cannot come at any cost," Kiev's representatives should sit at the negotiating table, and Ukraine is on an "irreversible path" to NATO membership, although it "may take time." The prime minister also reminded Trump of the chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021, noting that such a scenario should not be allowed. "I feel sure that president Trump will want to avoid this too," he noted.
"These crucial days ahead will determine the future security of our continent. As I will say in Paris, peace comes through strength. But the reverse is also true. Weakness leads to war," Starmer concluded.
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