PM renews backing for Ukraine as US rules out sending peacekeeping troops
The Prime Minister told MPs the Government’s commitment to backing Kyiv matters ‘just as much as it mattered at the beginning of this conflict’.
Britain must put Ukraine in “the strongest possible position”, Sir Keir Starmer reiterated as the US appeared to rule out sending US troops to peacekeep any ceasefire at a major summit convened by the UK.
The Prime Minister told MPs the Government’s commitment to backing Kyiv matters “just as much as it mattered at the beginning of this conflict” amid uncertainty over the future of the war.
It comes as Defence Secretary John Healey met counterparts including from Germany, the US and France in Brussels, where Washington made clear it wants Europe to assume many of the responsibilities regarding Ukraine’s security.
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir was asked by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey to confirm that the UK and other European allies would give Kyiv enough support to prevent it being “bullied by Trump and Putin into accepting a deal which will effectively hand victory to Russia.”
“As he knows I met President (Volodymyr) Zelensky in Kyiv just a few weeks ago, my eighth meeting,” Sir Keir replied.
“My position since the outbreak of this conflict has been a united position across the House of supporting Ukraine, and I was able to reiterate my position which is we must put Ukraine in the strongest possible position, and that matters now just as much as it mattered at the beginning of this conflict, the strongest possible position.
“We did discuss with him what more we can do, what more our allies can do, to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position.”
Mr Healey joined more than 50 defence allies and partners from across the world at Nato’s headquarters in the Belgian capital on Wednesday, where he chaired the 26th Ukraine Defence Contact Group summit.
Opening the meeting, the Defence Secretary announced a package of £150 million worth of battle tanks, drones and armoured vehicles and air defence systems as part of the UK’s £3 billion annual pledge to Ukraine.
He said: “2025 is the critical year for the war in Ukraine.
“Ukrainians continue to fight with huge courage, military and civilians alike, and their bravery, fused with our support, has proved a lethal combination.
“Speaking as a European defence minister, we know our responsibilities.
“We are doing more of the heavy lifting and sharing more of the burden.
“While Russia is weakened, it remains undeniably dangerous.
“We must step up further, and secure peace through strength, together.”
The UK has sent 500,000 rounds of ammunition to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion, worth over £1 billion and is on track to provide more than 10,000 drones within a year with final deliveries due next month, he said.
The package includes a multi-million-pound contract with UK defence firm Babcock, which will train Ukrainian personnel to maintain and repair Challenger 2 tanks, self-propelled artillery, and combat reconnaissance vehicles inside Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Mr Healey’s US counterpart Pete Hegseth indicated that Washington is intent on getting Europe to take on most of the financial and military burden of defending Ukraine, including a possible peacekeeping force that would not include US soldiers.
Allies had been waiting to hear how much continued support the White House plans to provide to the country under Donald Trump’s new administration.
Mr Hegseth also suggested the troops should be deployed as a non-Nato mission without Article Five protections, which say that an armed attack on one member of the military bloc is considered an attack on all.
“Members of this contact group must meet the moment,” Mr Hegseth said to the assembled group.
Mr Healey was understood to be having a bilateral meeting with the US defence secretary on Wednesday, though no readout is expected.
