EPADefence Secretary John Healey has said European troops are “ready to deploy” to Ukraine in the coming weeks if Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agree on a ceasefire.
After a surprise call last Thursday, the US and Russian presidents are planning to meet in Budapest, Hungary. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has not been invited but said he is ready to join.
Asked if troops could deploy if a deal was reached in the next two weeks, Healey said: “If President Trump can broker a peace, then we will be ready to help secure that peace”.
But he added that Ukrainians must be the “people who will decide how and what” is negotiated in any peace talks.
Members of the “coalition of the willing”, an alliance of 26 European nations founded in March by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to guarantee Ukraine’s security, had been “developing detailed plans, in the event of a ceasefire”, Healey said.
Under the plans, UK troops could join a multinational force to secure Ukraine’s border.
The work of “over 200 military planners from 38-plus nations over the last six months” had meant forces were ready to deploy when needed, Healey said.
The government were expecting to spend “well over” £100m on sending troops to Ukraine, with some funds already used to prepare the deployment, Healey said.
Speaking at the London Lord Mayor’s Annual Defence Lecture, Healey also said Vladimir Putin views Britain as his “number one enemy” because of the country’s support for Ukraine.
The defence secretary also warned of a “new era of threat” and said the risk of wider conflict in Europe has not been as great since the end of World War Two.
During the speech, Healey also announced British soldiers will be granted new powers to shoot down drones threatening military bases.
Four British airbases used by US forces reported mystery drone sightings last year, while drones have disrupted airspace across Europe a number of times in recent months.
The new powers will only apply to military sites, but could be extended to civilian locations such as airports.
Healey said the introduction of a “kinetic option” would enable British troops or Ministry of Defence (MoD) police to shoot drones posing a threat to a military site in the UK.
The announcement followed reports that a White House meeting between Trump and Zelensky ended in a “shouting match”, as US officials pushed Ukraine to give up land to Russia.
Zelensky had gone to Washington to ask the US to supply sought-after Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory.
But reports suggest Trump had instead insisted Zelensky surrender the entire eastern Donbas region to Putin. Russia controls 70% of Donetsk and nearly all of neighbouring Luhansk.
The Financial Times reported Trump had warned Zelensky that Putin would “destroy” Ukraine if he did not agree to its terms, citing sources familiar with the conversation.
In the more than 1,300 days since Russia invaded Ukraine, Putin has become increasingly reliant on support from North Korea, Iran and China.
According to Healey, Russia has suffered over a million casualties and devoted 40% of its government spending to the military.
But in recent months Moscow has intensified attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, prompting emergency power cuts across the country.
European leaders have expressed concern over Trump’s shifting stance, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warning on social media that “appeasement never was a road to a just and lasting peace”.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said “the only ones who can decide on the land issue are the Ukrainians themselves”.
Speaking to the BBC, Stubb said Finland, a member of the coalition of the willing. would never recognise Crimea, or the regions of Donetsk or Luhansk, as Russian.
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