'I'm ready to put British troops into Ukraine', Keir Starmer says ahead of emergency Paris summit
16 February 2025, 22:21 | Updated: 16 February 2025, 23:10
Sir Keir Starmer says he's 'ready and willing' to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine, as part of security guarantees offered in any peace deal.
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The Prime Minister said Britain - and Europe - were facing a 'once in a generation moment' for their security.
Writing for The Telegraph, he revealed he believes the UK can play a crucial role in peace negotiations, bridging the gap between the US and Europe.
He said: "Securing a lasting peace in Ukraine that safeguards its sovereignty for the long term is essential if we are to deter Putin from further aggression in the future."
Sir Keir said that he will attend an emergency summit in Paris on Monday with a "very clear message for our European friends".
He stressed he was aware of the "responsibility that comes with potentially putting British servicemen and women in harm’s way".
The PM continued: "Any role in helping to guarantee Ukraine’s security is helping to guarantee the security of our continent, and the security of this country."
He said: "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 President 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. Non-US NATO nations have already increased defence spending by 20 per cent in the past year, but we must go further."
He urged European nations to 'step up'.
Starmer noted Donald Trump's peace efforts, and said: "US support will remain critical and a US security guarantee is essential for a lasting peace, because only the US can deter 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."
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US President Donald Trump has said President Putin wants to "stop fighting" in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian government source has said that Kyiv has not been invited to US-Russia peace negotiations in Saudi Arabia this week.
European leaders have yet to be invited to peace talks either, and will discuss their next move at the Paris summit chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Ukrainian source told the BBC that no delegation would be present at the Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
On Sunday, when asked about President Zelenskyy's presence at possible negotiations, Trump said: "He will be involved".
The turbulent week of discussion comes as leaders met at the Munich Security Conference to discuss peace in Europe.
Zelensky says he thinks Putin could be preparing war against Nato countries next year
Earlier on Sunday, the former Prime Minister of Ukraine told LBC the West must be united in boosting defence spending and supporting Ukraine if it wants peace.
Speaking to Iain Dale, Arseniy Yatsenyuk compared US Vice President JD Vance’s speech at the Munich defence summit to rhetoric espoused by Vladimir Putin as he pleaded with America to reaffirm its commitment to NATO and Ukraine.
“Things are going in the wrong direction right now,” Yatsenyuk said.
“The free world has to stay united but the latest speech by JD Vance resembles one given by war criminal Putin.
Ex-Ukrainian PM takes a strong stance on JD Vance's Munich speech
“Americans have to change their approach and the way they’ve decided to handle Ukrainian and European issues, which are actually the same.
“This is a huge challenge for the European Union, a huge challenge for Ukraine and a huge challenge for the United Kingdom and we have to face it,” he added.
“But, I believe this could be a wake-up call for the EU and lead them to a more strong, bold and clear-cut decision. And the summit being held in Paris can jumpstart this.”
Mr Yatsenyuk insisted that Europe can only have peace by investing heavily in defence.
