Following an emergency meeting with European leaders in Paris, the British Prime Minister stated that any peace agreement for Ukraine would require the "backing" of the United States to deter Russia from attacking its neighbor again. He reiterated that he would consider deploying British troops to Ukraine if a lasting peace agreement is reached. The Prime Minister emphasized that only US "security guarantees" could effectively deter Russia and pledged to discuss the "key elements" of a peace agreement with US President Donald Trump in Washington next week.
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03-12, 2025German Chancellor Olaf Scholz responded that discussing sending troops to Ukraine at this time is "completely premature" and expressed feeling "somewhat annoyed" by the topic. Scholz believes that the immediate priority is to strengthen military and financial support for Ukraine, rather than discussing sending ground troops. Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer stated that Europe must "do more" to defend the continent in the face of the "generational" security challenge posed by Russia.
Sir Keir Starmer avoided explicitly explaining what "backing" would entail, but his allies suggested it could include air support, logistics, and intelligence capabilities. European leaders met at the Élysée Palace to discuss concerns about the Trump administration's decision to initiate peace talks with Russia independently. Ukrainian President Zelensky stated that Kyiv knows nothing about the negotiations and will not recognize any agreement reached without its participation. US officials stated that European countries will be consulted on peace talks with Russia but will not be directly involved.
The Paris summit came days after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that Europe would be primarily responsible for ensuring its own security. Sir Keir Starmer stated that the US "is not leaving NATO," but now is "the time to take responsibility for our own security and our continent." Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that transatlantic relations are in a "new phase," and the meeting confirmed that Europe has reached a point where it must "significantly increase its self-defense capabilities."
Experts point out that a significant increase in defense spending would be required to effectively execute a peacekeeping mission maintaining the border between Ukrainian and Russian-controlled territories. Malcolm Chalmers, Deputy Director of the Royal United Services Institute, stated that unlike the observer nature of UN peacekeeping forces, it would be a "completely different thing" if the proposed force was intended to deter Russian attacks. Former NATO commander Sir Adrian Bradshaw stated that this cannot be a symbolic force; it must effectively deter aggression and be based on a clear grand strategy to contain Russia, ensuring that future conflicts are not limited to Ukraine. Former British Army head Lord Dannatt previously estimated that such a force would require approximately 100,000 soldiers, with the UK contributing about two-fifths. The UK currently spends about 2.3% of its total economic output on defense. The government has pledged to increase defense spending to 2.5%, but has not yet specified when this target will be achieved.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that Europe must "step up" defense spending and support for Ukraine because "Russia is now unfortunately threatening the whole of Europe." European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for a "significant increase" in defense spending. Sir Keir Starmer met with leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands in Paris, as well as the President of the European Council and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Prior to the meeting, European leaders also expressed concerns to Hegseth that expecting Ukraine to return to its pre-2014 borders before Russia's annexation of Crimea was "unrealistic." Hegseth also downplayed the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO, while Sir Keir Starmer stated that Ukraine is moving in an "irreversible" direction.
British government sources believe that disagreements among leaders are "not surprising," and not every country is willing to immediately take a position. British diplomats believe that not every country needs to commit to sending troops, but some will. Regardless of the role Europe ultimately plays, US involvement will still be necessary. Professor Chalmers stated: "Having a large NATO force stationed on Ukrainian territory after a ceasefire would be a defeat for Russia, so I currently find it difficult to see Russia accepting such a presence as part of an agreement."
Deploying British troops would also require parliamentary approval. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey stated that he believes "agreement could likely be found across all parties in Parliament." Sir Keir Starmer's spokesperson stated that Parliament would be consulted "in due course," but this "pre-empts discussions with other world leaders." Ground fighting continues in Ukraine, with Russian attacks on Sunday killing at least three civilians, according to local authorities. Several regions of Ukraine are experiencing emergency power outages due to attacks on energy infrastructure, while the Russian Defense Ministry stated that it intercepted and destroyed 90 Ukrainian drones on Sunday evening.
