KEIR Starmer has said a meeting of defence chiefs will upgrade his calls to have British soldiers deployed to Ukraine into "military plans".
The Prime Minister said the “timetable now is coming into focus”, after talks between the US and Russia, and that if a deal comes to fruition, the so-called "coalition of the willing" needs to be ready to react right away.
“That’s why it’s important today that we’re turning the political momentum that we had on the weekend, in the meeting that I convened of nearly 30 political leaders, turning it today from the political concept into military plans,” he told Sky News.
“So, that’s what’s happening and today, those plans are focusing on keeping the skies safe, the seas safe and the borders safe and secure in Ukraine and working with Ukrainians.
“Now, we’re working at pace, because we don’t know if there’ll be a deal, I certainly hope there will be, but if there’s a deal, it’s really important that we’re able to react straight away.”
The meeting of military chiefs from the UK and its allies is to discuss how soldiers from the UK and other countries could operate in Ukraine to deter further Russian attacks if a deal to end the war is reached.
That could mean British forces currently stationed on Nato’s eastern flank being redeployed to Ukraine, with other allies filling the gap.
Calls this week between US President Donald Trump (above), Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have failed to produce the 30-day ceasefire envisaged by the White House.
Instead Putin agreed to a truce on hitting energy infrastructure, although Ukraine has said other civilian targets including a hospital had been struck.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Putin should not be given a “veto” over the presence of European forces in Ukraine if a deal is struck to end the war.
“Putin should simply accept an unconditional ceasefire," said Lammy at a business conference in London.
"That is the plan on the table, let’s get on with it, what are we waiting for?
“What we certainly can’t do is give Putin a veto over the security architecture that will govern that peace."
Lammy spoke to his US counterpart Marco Rubio on Wednesday.
Armed forces minister Luke Pollard said members of the "coalition of the willing" would discuss how to co-ordinate their militaries in the event they are deployed to Ukraine.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the talks would consider “if a deployment means moving a military asset or capability that’s already deployed, how can we backfill those commitments to make sure that we’re not simply moving all our available resources into one location and leaving other flanks of Nato exposed”.
Pollard (below) pointed out “we already have UK forces along the eastern flank of Nato in Estonia, for instance, to deter Russian aggression against the Baltic states”.
Downing Street said the military leaders would be involved in “granular planning” of the details of any potential deployment.
Zelenskyy said he believes a “lasting peace can be achieved this year” after his call with Trump.
In the same call, Trump suggested that the US takes ownership of Ukrainian power plants to ensure their security.
Starmer said it is “a matter for them” when asked if he supported that idea.
Zelenskyy was updating European Union leaders on the discussions during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.
Overnight, Zelenskyy (below) said Russia carried out a series of drone attacks.
“Last night, the Russians launched nearly 200 Shahed drones and decoy UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles],” he said.
“A massive attack on the Kirovohrad region left 10 people wounded, including four children, and caused damage to homes, a church, and infrastructure.”
British military intelligence officials estimate 200-250,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the 2022 invasion, the country’s largest losses since the Second World War.
“Russian President Putin and the Russian military leadership highly likely prioritise their conflict objectives over the lives of Russian soldiers,” the assessment released by the Ministry of Defence said.
“They are almost certainly prepared to tolerate continuously high casualty rates so long as this does not negatively affect public or elite support for the war, and those losses can be replaced.”
In total there have been an estimated 900,000 casualties, including the wounded, with the bulk of military personnel drawn from impoverished regions and ethnic minorities, the defence intelligence update said.
