The Prime Minister assembled the representatives of 31 different countries at a military base in Hertfordshire to begin the planning for a multinational force which could provide security guarantees to Kyiv as part of a future peace deal.
Speaking to officers at Northwood Headquarters, the UK’s main centre of military planning, Starmer warned that any deal to end the invasion of Ukraine must be “defended”, adding: “We know one thing for certain, which is a deal without anything behind it is something that Putin will breach. We know that because it happened before. I’m absolutely clear in my mind it will happen again.”
Asked by The i Paper if he was willing to confront Russia military in the event of a breach of a ceasefire, Starmer replied: “The point of the security arrangements is to make it clear to Russia there’ll be severe consequences if they are to breach any deal.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits a military base to discuss next steps on the Coalition of the Willing in Northwood, London (Photo: Alastair Grant/Pool via REUTERS)
The arrangements would be similar to those already in place in Eastern European countries such as Estonia, where the UK has long maintained a military presence, he suggested.
Starmer said that talks on the peacekeeping force were being “broken out into different areas”, specifying: “We’re looking at the sea in one scenario, the sky, obviously land and borders and regeneration.”
The Prime Minister’s comments will be taken as a hint that allies’ plans are moving away from a focus on “boots on the ground” in large numbers with an emphasis instead on providing back-up to a ground force built around Kyiv’s own troops.
Earlier this week, The i Paper revealed that British Special Forces had been put on standby to head to Ukraine for the proposed peacekeeping mission as part of a smaller, more specialised military group on the ground.
And he welcomed the EU’s moves to creating a more powerful military alliance, suggesting that the UK remains keen to deepen co-operation with Brussels. The Prime Minister said: “I’m speaking to the president of the [European] Commission pretty well all the time about their thinking and how we take this forward together.”
The UK Government has been careful not to criticise Donald Trump for the work he has done to try and get a deal with Putin, even as European allies push to provide security backing for Ukraine that could allow it to continue fighting even without US support.
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