Starmer Puts UK Troops On The Line

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has surprised the world by stating that he would be willing to commit British troops to a peacekeeping force set up to police a future ceasefire in the Russo-Ukraine war. His pledge has been made in the wake of President Donald Trump’s early moves to try and end the war via bilateral discussions with Russia’s Putin, talks to which Ukraine has yet to be invited.

Trump and his new administration have also signalled that Europe will henceforth have to shoulder more of the burden of defence and can no longer rely on the USA to bail them out. European leaders have been stunned by Trump’s direct approach to Putin and have hastily convened a meeting in Paris this week to discuss the situation.

Other European countries are less keen on the peacekeeping force idea with some suggesting that it is a job more suited to the UN rather than NATO or the EU. Starmer’s statement has immediately attracted criticism from senior UK politicians and military figures alike. Former head of the British army General Lord Dannatt has been outspoken in saying that it can’t be done without considerable enhancements to Britain’s armed forces, and that any increase in military resourcing will take some time to implement.

Alternatives to placing ground troops in Ukraine could be contributions to the policing of a possible post-conflict no-fly zone or even the Royal Navy taking on the task of patrolling the Black Sea. However, both of these other services are also short of personnel and equipment to take on such roles.

Whatever the outcome might be, it’s clear that if Starmer wants the UK to participate in such potential commitments then delaying an increase in Britain’s defence budget any longer will not be acceptable.  He and his government need to recalibrate their spending priorities to bring defence resourcing much higher up the pecking order, and do it quickly too.

Lt Col Stuart Crawford is a defence analyst and former army officer. Sign up for his podcasts and newsletters at www.DefenceReview.uk

Lt Col Stuart Crawford’s latest book Tank Commander (Hardback) is available now

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