Defence Secretary says Britain is ready to put ‘boots on the ground’ as part of a Ukraine ceasefire deal ahead of Trump-Putin talks – but refuses to say what happens if they’re attacked
The Defence Secretary today said Britain was ready to put ‘UK boots on the ground’ in Ukraine should Donald Trump‘s talks with Vladimir Putin result in a ceasefire.
John Healey outlined how British troops could help ‘secure the safe skies, safe seas and build the strength of the Ukrainian forces’ in the event of a peace deal.
The US President is due to meet with the Russian leader in Alaska later on Friday in an effort to end the three-year long conflict in Ukraine.
Prior to departing Washington DC, Mr Trump looked ahead to ‘high stakes’ talks with Mr Putin and expressed confidence ‘something is going to come’ of the discussions.
Mr Healey told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the ‘coalition of the willing’ of Ukrainian allies – including Britain – was poised to help enforce a ceasefire.
But he refused to speculate on what might happen should British troops come under attack as part of a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
‘As the Prime Minister has said, in the circumstances of a ceasefire, we’re ready to put UK boots on the ground in Ukraine,’ the Defence Secretary said.
‘That’s in part to reassure Ukrainians but it’s also, in part, to secure the safe skies, safe seas and to build the strength of the Ukrainian forces.’
Defence Secretary John Healey said Britain was ready to put ‘UK boots on the ground’ in Ukraine should Donald Trump’s talks with Vladimir Putin result in a ceasefire
The US President is due to meet with the Russian leader in Alaska later on Friday in an effort to end the three-year long conflict in Ukraine.
British soldiers take part in a training exercise in Hohenfels, Germany, earlier this year
Mr Healey added: ‘The strongest deterrent against Russia reinvading or regrouping and relaunching their aggression against Ukraine is the strength of Ukraine to stand for itself.’
Ukraine cause akin to Second World War Allies, says Starmer
Ukraine is fighting for the same values as the Allies did in the Second World War, Sir Keir Starmer said last night.
The Prime Minister addressed a reception, including veterans, to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, which marked the Allies’ defeat of Japan.
Speaking in Downing Street, Sir Keir said: ‘I sat on this terrace this very morning with President Zelensky, who is fighting for the same values as we were fighting for.
‘And so when we say never forget, we must pass on the stories of those who have gone before us.’
Asked if British troops would fight or leave if they were attacked while in Ukraine, the Defence Secretary replied: ‘Those are hypotheticals, so I’m really not going to discuss and can’t discuss at this point.’
But Mr Healey said there were ‘important principles’ that ‘any British forces have the right to defend themselves if attacked’.
‘They are ready to go, they’re ready to act from day one in a ceasefire,’ he said of plans for the coalition of the willing to enforce a peace deal.
‘We are setting up the joint headquarters with the French for that, the military plans are complete.’
The Defence Secretary dismissed suggestions the UK’s approach to the war is to ‘watch and wait’.
He told BBC Breakfast: ‘The UK’s role is to stand with Ukraine on the battlefield and in the negotiations, and prepare, as we have been, leading 30 other nations with military planning for a ceasefire and a secure peace through what we call the coalition of the willing.
‘Our role is to lead the charge, as we have been, on more intensive diplomacy, to lead the charge on military aid to Ukraine so that we don’t jeopardise the peace by forgetting about the current war.
‘And being ready also to step-up economic pressure on Putin if he’s not willing to take the talks seriously.’
Sir Keir Starmer met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, and the pair expressed cautious optimism about the prospect of a truce ‘as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious’ about ending the war, Downing Street said.
Concerns linger over the prospect of Kyiv being excluded from negotiations over its own future, and pressured to cede territory, after Mr Trump suggested any agreement may need to involve ‘swapping of land’.
Ukraine has already rejected any proposal that would compromise its borders.
