Sir Keir Starmer has developed a peace plan for Ukraine that includes deploying a significant number of troops as tensions escalate between Europe and the US.
The UK Prime Minister has expressed support for Ukraine and proposed the establishment of a “reassurance force” following a warning from President Zelensky urging the West to decide between “Putin or peace”.
Zelensky’s fighting talk comes as Donald Trump blasted the heroic president as a “dictator” and a “moderately successful” comedian.
Amidst talks between the US and Russia to expedite the resolution of the conflict, the US president criticized Zelensky for not holding elections during the ongoing unrest, leading to a state of uncertainty among global leaders.
Not only is Ukraine feeling sidelined by Trump’s actions, but so are European leaders who were not given a seat at the talks held between the US and Russia in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Starmer is hoping to act as “a bridge” between the US and Europe when he meets with Trump in Washington next week where he is expected to present his peacekeeping plan to the President.
The PM is hoping to show how European forces could help enforce and protect any peace deal that is secured by the US to deter Russia from breaking the agreement.
But despite suggestions from Trump that Europe needs to be in charge of its own protection, the PM is expected to ask for American jets and weapons to be on standby in Eastern Europe under the plan.
Western officials briefed on the plans have signalled that a peacekeeping force to police a 1000km frontline could be as small as 30,000 troops.
This is despite Ukraine’s President Zelensky saying it would take at least 200,000 soldiers to deter a new Russian invasion.
But a senior western official said: “30,000 feels still on the high side, because the purpose of that force would be predominantly around reassurance and trying to instil some confidence in the Ukraine population and in the state.”
He said the troops would have specific tasks such as showing the world “that nuclear power plants are now under an international security umbrella to allow the surveys to take place, to allow the maintenance to be caught up.”
These European-led soldiers would be deployed to various cities, ports, and other critical areas including commercial shipping routes in the Black Sea to keep the peace.
According to The Telegraph, one official said it will rely on “technical monitoring” from intelligence, surveillance, and information from drones and satellites to give a “picture of what is going on.”
This means a much larger amount of troops is not needed, as leaders hope to find the right line between a force for deterrence and one seen as a threat.
The source added that the peacekeeping operation will be backed up with weapons to “monitor and shoot those attacks down.”
The plan, constructed between France and the UK, was presented to leaders in Paris this week at an emergency meeting in response to Trump beginning peace talks with Russia.
The sudden U-turn in US policy towards Russia had European leaders scrambling to take action amid fears that Trump will walk away from the situation once any deal is made.
It came after US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said that Europe and Canada alone would be responsible for enforcing peacekeeping operations in Ukraine.
Trump has also warned that putting boots on the ground could spark World War Three with Russia.
US ‘BACKSTOP’
Starmer is expected to talk to the President about the importance of the US staying involved in taking action against Russia as the conflict continues.
French President Emmanuel Macron who has also worked on the peacekeeping plan is also due to visit Washington next week to lobby Trump and claw back US support.
It comes as:
After crisis talks in Paris, the PM highlighted how any peacekeeping mission would need a US backstop to deter a third attack from Russia.
“The purpose of the backstop would be to have the confidence that whatever forces are deployed will not be challenged by Russia,” a Western official familiar with the plans told the Telegraph.
US support for the plan would most likely be through air power, with jets based in Poland and Romania in case of a breach of the agreement by Russia.
However, it seems as though Trump is bringing Putin in from the cold and is starting to hold Europe and Nato at a distance.
Starmer will be hoping Trump will agree to the backstop plan as US troops will not be required to be on the ground and the plan will not put Nato forces in direct confrontation with Russia.
But with Germany, Italy, and Spain opposed to deploying troops in Ukraine, Europe has few options and appears more fractured than ever.
NATO is also eyeing talks about its mutual defense clause, where an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, a European official told The Telegraph.
UNITED FRONT
As tensions continue to rise, the UK PM spoke to Zelensky on Thursday evening, stressing the need for “everyone” to work together, Downing Street has said.
A spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister expressed his support for President Zelensky as Ukraine’s democratically elected leader and said that it was perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during war time as the UK did during World War II.
“The Prime Minister reiterated his support for the US-led efforts to get a lasting peace in Ukraine that deterred Russia from any future aggression.”
It was also revealed on Thursday that the UK is set to funnel an extra £1.5 billion in aid to Ukraine until a peace deal can be agreed.
Officials have pledged to send a total of £4.5billion to Ukraine this year after boosting the nation with £3billion each year since the conflict began in 2022.
The additional funding to “keep Ukraine in the fight until they get peace” will be taken from unfrozen Russian assets.
It is thought that the aid will help Ukraine find “peace through strength”.
Zelenksy said he is “counting on Ukrainian unity” as well as the “unity of Europe” and the “pragmatism of America” for victory.
He added that Ukraine has wanted an end to the war from “the very first second that” Russia invaded in February 2022 and that he wants a peace deal that will ensure Moscow will not attack again.
“I am confident that we will end it, and with a lasting peace. And so that Russia cannot come to Ukraine again, and so that Ukrainians return from Russian captivity, and so that Ukraine has a future. This is a normal desire of every nation,” he said.
He also thanked the UK and Starmer for support saying “we will never forget the respect the British people have shown for Ukraine and our citizens.”
Britain and Kyiv’s European allies have also vowed to keep Ukraine “in the fight” as the US continued talks with Russia and Zelensky calls for “security guarantees”.
