British Military Rejects Proposal for Sending Troops to Ukraine as Part of “Peace Mission”
The Telegraph reported on Sunday that British military officials have rejected the proposal of Prime Minister Keir Starmer to send western troops as part of a “peace mission” to Ukraine to monitor a potential ceasefire. According to high-ranking military sources, Starmer “had gone too far” with his initiative.
Starmer had announced the initiative at the beginning of the month, aiming to form a “coalition of the willing” to provide military support to Ukraine. Last week, he claimed that several countries supported the idea of deploying a force of up to 10,000 troops, although Moscow has rejected any western troop presence in the conflict zone.
Last week, planning meetings took place in London with military officials from partner countries. However, military sources described the plans as premature and politically motivated.
“There is no defined military objective or military-strategic planning assumptions. It’s all political theater” said a high-ranking army official to the newspaper. “Starmer has overreached himself, talking about the deployment of ground troops before he even knew what he was talking about.”
According to reports, the focus of the discussions has shifted to air and naval support. The Telegraph reports that British air force jets will be used for the surveillance of the Ukrainian airspace and could provide ground troops with air support, although the extent and role of a potential ground deployment remain unclear.
“It’s politics. It makes no military sense” said another military source, pointing out that neither Russia nor the US support the coalition. He emphasized that the mission’s goals are unclear.
“What would a 10,000-strong international force do, stationed 400 kilometers from the front line in the west of the country? It can’t even protect itself” he argued. “What is the mission? How is it legitimized? How are the rules of engagement? How will it be commanded, supplied and accommodated? How long will it be there and why? Nobody knows.”
Further planning meetings between British and French defense officials are expected in London on Monday. French President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly considering calling on the UN to approve a European troop presence in Ukraine. However, Russia has repeatedly rejected the idea of western peacekeepers in Ukraine, emphasizing that this would require the consent of the UN Security Council, where Moscow has a veto power.