UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated on Monday that the UK is "ready and willing" to send troops to Ukraine as part of the campaign to broker a peace settlement with Russia, reaffirming the country's determination to meet a "generational challenge" to its security.
Before his visit to Paris for an informal meeting with European leaders to discuss US President Donald Trump's negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the current war between Moscow and Kyiv, Starmer penned an article for The Daily Telegraph. In it, he cautioned that Europe is under "existential threat" and urged the continent to "step up" its defense and security.
Downing Street also confirmed that Starmer will travel to Washington next week for bilateral talks with President Trump, and that the Russia-Ukraine crisis would be a central point of discussion.
"We're facing a generational challenge when it comes to national security, Starmer told reporters during a tour of a diagnostic centre in Bristol, south-west England, on Monday morning. Obviously, the immediate question is the future of Ukraine, and we must continue to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position whatever happens next and to make sure that if there is peace, and we all want peace that it is lasting," he said.
In his column in the newspaper, Starmer underscored that it is imperative to have a durable peace in Ukraine that secures its sovereignty in the long run. He posited that such a peace agreement is also needed not only for the future of Ukraine but also as an important tactic to "deter Putin from further aggression" in the forthcoming years.
"As European nations, we must increase our defence spending and take on a greater role in NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organisation]. Non-US NATO nations have already increased defence spending by 20 per cent in the past year, but we must go further," he writes.
"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 GBP 3 billion 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," he said.
The Prime Minister made it clear that any participation in securing the security of Ukraine will directly secure the security of the whole European continent.
"Russia is still waging war and Ukraine is still fighting for its freedom, which is why we must not relent in our efforts to get the kit Ukrainians need for their fighters on the front line. While the fighting continues, we must put Ukraine in the strongest possible position ahead of any talks," he noted.
Starmer's move follows increasing uncertainty regarding Washington's talks with Moscow as European leaders voice concerns about concessions US President Donald Trump may grant to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reaffirmed that it would be "very, very difficult" for Ukraine to survive without sustained American military support. He has also made clear that any peace negotiations would have to prioritize Kyiv's interests.
French President Emmanuel Macron will be hosting an emergency summit on Monday, inviting the leaders of the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, and Denmark, along with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, to address the conflict in Ukraine and its implications for the region.
"We need to step up in terms of our collective response in Europe, and by that I mean capability, I mean playing our full part when it comes to the defence of the sovereignty of Ukraine if there's a peace agreement," Starmer has said ahead of the meeting, expecting to play a bridging role between Europe and the US when he meets Trump next week.
The UK presently devotes around 2.3% of GDP to defense budgets, with a commitment from government to increase that to 2.5%. The Opposition Conservatives are also insisting strongly on increasing the figure to 2.5%.
"Totalitarian states like Russia, Iran, and North Korea are coordinated in their efforts. Failing to spend more on defence is not peace-making, it is weakness. And it only emboldens their threats to democracy and global stability," said Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.
Read also| Rubio in Israel: Hamas Must Be Eradicated, Further Undermining Gaza's Fragile Ceasefire
