The UK is “ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air” in Ukraine, PM Keir Starmer has claimed
President Donald Trump has said that British troops “can take care of themselves” when asked whether the US military would support them if the UK deploys forces to Ukraine as part of a potential peace agreement with Russia.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Trump at the White House on Thursday, where they discussed a plan to reach what he called a “peace that is tough and fair.”
“I’m working closely with other European leaders on this, and I’m clear that the UK is ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to support a deal, working together with our allies, because that is the only way that peace will last,” Starmer told reporters after the meeting.
Trump, however, sidestepped a question about whether the US would provide backup if such a deployment led to clashes with Russian forces, telling journalists before the meeting that the British “don’t need much help.”
“They can take care of themselves very well… It sounds like it’s evasive, but it’s not evasive. You know, the British have been incredible soldiers, incredible military, and they can take care of themselves,” Trump said. “If they need help, I’ll always be with the British, OK? I’ll always be with them – but they don’t need help.”
Trump: “The British have been incredible soldiers, incredible military, and they can take care of themselves. But if they need help, I’ll always be with the British.” pic.twitter.com/8emiiJDnu0
Starmer then praised the US-UK relationship as the world’s “greatest alliance for prosperity and security,” adding that “whenever necessary, we’ve absolutely backed each other up…”
“Could you take on Russia by yourselves?” Trump interrupted, turning to Starmer with a smile.
“Well…,” the British PM responded to a burst of laughter from the audience before Trump moved on to other questions.
The meeting came just days after French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly also failed to secure concrete US security guarantees for Ukraine during his talks with Trump in Washington.
Trump had previously said that he had discussed “some form of peacekeeping” with his Russian counterpart, and claimed that Vladimir Putin had “no problem” with the idea. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow had not been consulted on the matter.
Lavrov said the idea of deploying foreign troops to Ukraine is being pushed by “the Europeans, primarily France and also the British,” suggesting that this is meant to “further heat up the conflict and stop any attempts to calm it down.”
Moscow has repeatedly opposed the deployment of unauthorized peacekeepers in Ukraine, warning that without a UN mandate they would be considered legitimate targets. Lavrov insisted that any discussions about a peacekeeping force in Ukraine are “empty” and that the priority should be resolving the conflict’s underlying issues – including efforts to bring Kiev into NATO and the potential deployment of Western military infrastructure near Russia’s borders.
