UK offers peacekeeping troops to Ukraine ahead of Paris talks

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has emerged as the first European leader to express readiness to deploy peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, making this pledge prior to an emergency leaders’ meeting in Paris to discuss Europe’s involvement in a ceasefire.

Starmer’s remarks highlighted an increasing awareness among European countries that they will probably need to take on a greater responsibility for Ukraine’s security while Washington engages directly with Russia regarding a possible resolution to the three-year war.

Sweden is open to providing support for post-war peacekeeping missions in Ukraine, stated Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Monday, mentioning that discussions must advance prior to making any decision. Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump surprised Ukraine and European allies by revealing he had a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, without their prior consultation, about ending the war.

That initiative stemmed from progress in discussions this week in Saudi Arabia involving U.S. and Russian representatives. Trump’s Ukraine representative, Keith Kellogg, stated on Saturday that Europe would be excluded from any peace negotiations. Washington sent a survey to European capitals to inquire about their potential contributions to security assurances for Kyiv.

During the summit in Paris on Monday, President Emmanuel Macron was to welcome leaders from Germany, Italy, Britain, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark, who will represent both Baltic and Scandinavian nations, along with the leadership of the European Union and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Starmer, anticipated to visit Washington for a meeting with Trump next week, stated on Sunday that Europe is experiencing a “once in a generation moment” for the overall security of the continent, and it needs to collaborate closely with the United States.  The European meeting in Paris is taking place after dozens of similar summits have shown the 27-nation EU to be unable to come up with a cohesive plan to end the Ukraine war. Britain is not an EU member but has been a leading supporter of Ukraine.