UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has not discounted calling a parliamentary vote on deploying British soldiers to take up a peacekeeping role in Ukraine when there is a ceasefire. This follows demands by some in the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats to consult Parliament in making any decision to deploy troops.
Downing Street had signalled that a US-supported security guarantee would be a major requirement for the UK to deploy ground troops to Ukraine, and stressed its significance in any ceasefire with Russia. Starmer, in his Sunday statement, admitted he was willing to put British troops “in harm’s way” to secure a peace agreement in Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
At a crisis summit in Paris, European leaders, including Starmer, debated their reaction to US President Donald Trump’s offer of a peace agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the possible scaling back of US defence commitments in Europe. Although Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said he was in favour of British troops being used to maintain a ceasefire, he insisted Parliament should be consulted.
Labour MP Diane Abbott spoke out against sending British troops, emphasizing that only a durable peace would render such an action unnecessary. Nevertheless, the Conservative Party has no plans to urge a parliamentary vote on this matter. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch declined to speak about Ukraine at a recent conference.
No 10 announced that Starmer would sit down with President Trump in Washington next week to talk about deepening the UK-US relationship on trade, investment, and security, and the future of Ukraine.
