Starmer keen to maintain British peacekeeping troops in Ukraine ‘for years’ amid fears of Trump concessions in looming name with Putin
UK troops could be deployed to Ukraine as peacekeepers for years under Keir Starmer‘s plan to secure the country in the event of an end to the war with Russia.
Senior government officials said that UK soldiers’ mission in the country’s under any ceasefire agreement would be open-ended because of the need to deter Vladimir Putin from resuming fighting.
It comes as US president Donald Trump has said he will speak to dictator Putin on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting of military chiefs in London on Thursday.
The call, announced by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, comes as Mr Putin continues to resist a US-backed proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.
Sir Keir has accused Mr Putin of seeking to ‘delay’ a ceasefire, while French president Emmanuel Macron has said the Russian president ‘does not seem to be sincerely seeking peace.
Mr Putin is also likely to object to any agreement that involves European or Nato troops being stationed in Ukraine, although Mr Zelensky sees this as essential to deterring future Russian aggression.
Discussing the deployment of UK troops, a UK source told the Times: ‘It would be a long-term commitment, we are talking about years.
‘As long as it takes to preserve a peace deal and deter Russia.’
Senior government officials said that UK troops’ mission in the country’s under any ceasefire agreement would be open-ended because of the need to deter Vladimir Putin from resuming fighting.
It comes as US president Donald Trump has said he will speak to dictator Putin on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting of military chiefs in London on Thursday.
Sir Keir has accused Mr Putin of seeking to ‘delay’ a ceasefire, while French president Emmanuel Macron has said the Russian president ‘does not seem to be sincerely seeking peace.
Although Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has accepted the proposed unconditional ceasefire, the Russian president has said Ukraine must agree to give up its ambitions of joining Nato and cede territory to Russia before any pause in hostilities.
On Sunday, Mr Witkoff insisted that Mr Putin was making ‘a constructive effort’ and that the upcoming call with Mr Trump showed there was ‘positive momentum’.
While flying from Florida to Washington on Air Force One on Sunday evening, Mr Trump told reporters the aim of his conversation with Mr Putin will be to bring the conflict ‘to an end’.
He said: ‘We will see if we have something to announce maybe by Tuesday. I will be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday.
‘A lot of work’s been done over the weekend. We want to see if we can bring that war to an end.’
Mr Trump said ‘dividing up certain assets’ will form part of the conversation about bringing the war to a close.
‘We will be talking about land. We will be talking about power plants,’ he said.
Meanwhile, military chiefs from the ‘coalition of the willing’ convened by Sir Keir and Mr Macron will meet in London on Thursday to discuss plans for a Western peacekeeping force to be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
Soldiers of the 88th Gun Battery of the British Army prepare an L118 light artillery gun during the Allied Spirit 25 military exercise in Germany last week
Mr Putin is likely to object to any agreement that involves European or Nato troops being stationed in Ukraine, although Mr Zelensky sees this as essential to deterring future Russian aggression.
Following a virtual meeting on Saturday with the leaders of 26 other nations, plus representatives from the EU and Nato, the Prime Minister said there had been ‘new commitments’ offered and planning would now move into an ‘operational phase’.
But it remains unclear which nations have committed troops to a peacekeeping operation, while several have suggested such talks are premature given the lack of a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, the fighting continues, with Ukraine said to be under increasing pressure in the eastern Donetsk region, part of which has been under Russian control since 2014.
Ukrainian troops are also reported to be in retreat in the Kursk region of Russia, which they seized in a surprise raid in August in an attempt to secure a bargaining chip for future negotiations.
