British and French military chiefs have met their counterparts in Ukraine to discuss how Sir Keir Starmer’s “coalition of the willing” can “build on the formidable capabilities of the Ukrainian army”.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the chief of the UK defence staff, was in Kyiv this week for talks on the structure, size and make-up of the Ukraine force, in the event of a peace deal between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin.
Sir Tony said: “The UK is ironclad in our support for Ukraine, which is why we’re stepping up for a just and lasting peace.
“Our meetings looked at how we can build on the formidable capabilities of the Ukrainian army and put them in the strongest possible position to deter Russian aggression.
“I am encouraged by the strength of unity we’ve seen between our European and international allies.”
Defence secretary John Healey will host counterparts in a 30-strong “coalition of the willing” meeting in Brussels next week. The group was convened by the UK prime minister and French president Emmanuel Macron to bolster support for Ukraine against Russia.
Sir Keir and Mr Macron, spoke on Saturday and agreed “good progress” had been made during the week by the “coalition of the willing”.
Talks will now focus on the next stages of planning to assemble a force capable of deterring future Russian aggression in Ukraine once a ceasefire is in place.
Mr Healey said: “Our coalition of nations, working at pace and willing to stand with Ukraine for the long-term, is a stark contrast to Russia who stand alone with only North Korea for a friend.
“As Putin prevaricates over a ceasefire, we will continue to ramp up our military planning, exploring the air, sea and land forces that could support a lasting peace in Ukraine.
“However, we will not jeopardise the peace by forgetting about the war.”
Mr Healey also vowed a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, including around 50 nations, next week will see allies boost the military support being sent to Kyiv “to put them in the strongest possible position as they fight back brutal continuing Russian attacks”.
