UK will put 'boots on the ground and planes in the air' if necessary to enforce Ukraine peace, Sir Keir Starmer says
The UK will place “boots on the ground and planes in the air” if necessary to help guarantee peace in Ukraine, the Prime Minister has said.
In an emotional address, Sir Keir Starmer told MPs that “we stand by Ukraine because it’s the right thing to do, but we also stand by them because it’s in our interest to do so”.
The Prime Minister was updating the House of Commons after a turbulent few days following the Oval Office row between Donald Trump, JD Vance and Volodymyr Zelensky.
He said “nobody wants to see” the clash between the US President and Mr Zelensky, which saw Mr Trump and his deputy berate the Ukrainian war leader.
Reports suggested Mr Trump may pull the plug on former President Joe Biden’s military support for Ukraine.
Sir Keir hosted Mr Zelensky in Downing Street on Saturday, and said the Ukrainian President “was moved by the reception that he got in our country”.
The Prime Minister then coordinated a meeting of European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, to try and put together a “coalition of the willing” to support a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.
He told MPs today that it was a “productive summit” where a plan was agreed “to stop the fighting, which we will then discuss directly with the United States”.
Defence Secretary John Healey is travelling to Washington DC this week to meet with his counterpart, former Fox News presenter Pete Hegseth.
Sir Keir said that “Britain will play a leading role with” this and if necessary have “boots on the ground and planes in the air”.
“It is right that Europe do the heavy lifting to support peace on our continent, but to succeed this effort must also have strong US backing,” he said.
“I want to assure this House, I take none of this lightly.
“I have visited British troops in Estonia, and no aspect of my role weighs more heavily than the deployment of British troops in the service of defence and security in Europe, and yet, I do feel very strongly that the future of Ukraine is vital for our national security.
“Russia is a menace in our waters and skies. They have launched cyber attacks on our NHS, assassination attempts in our streets.
“In this House, we stand by Ukraine because it’s the right thing to do, but we also stand by them because it’s in our interest to do so.”
Despite Mr Trump’s angry meeting with Mr Zelensky last Friday, Sir Keir told MPs that the US President’s commitment to peace is “sincere”.
On his visit to the US last week, the Prime Minister said: “I welcome the positive discussions we had on European security, including his clear support for Article 5 of Nato.
“I welcome the understanding from our dialogue that our two nations will work together on security arrangements for a lasting peace in Ukraine.”
He added that the UK must strengthen its relationship with the US but will “never choose between either side of the Atlantic”.
Sir Keir and Mr Healey hosted defence companies, including Sheffield Forgemasters, in Downing Street today to promote the sector.
Meanwhile Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticised Mr Zelensky for not wearing a suit for the White House meeting, and not shining his shoes.
He told LBC the Ukrainian president “played it very badly” and “I wouldn’t expect a guest to be rude to me in my own house”.
“I think President Zelensky was very unwise to tell the Americans what would happen to them if they didn’t back him, I think it was unwise,” he said.
“Yeah, sure, Vance and Trump bit back. But I think, in diplomatic terms, I think Zelensky played it very badly.”