British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit Ukraine "in the coming weeks" to discuss the deployment of international peacekeeping forces after the end of the war with Russia.
This is reported by Bloomberg, citing sources.
It is his first visit to Ukraine since taking office six months ago. President Volodymyr Zelensky informed about the visit after the 25th meeting with allies at “Ramstein” Air Base in Germany. He did not specify when Starmer would arrive.
"This initiative was launched by Emmanuel Macron. The British view it positively, but I will discuss it in detail with the Prime Minister at our meeting. He will be in Ukraine," Zelensky told reporters on January 9.
The Ukrainian president expects the presence of peacekeepers on the territory of the country to become an important component of security guarantees. However, he added that these measures alone are not enough to effectively protect against Russian aggression.
European leaders have recently been discussing the possibility of sending their troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission after a ceasefire. This is due to the fact that the US President-elect Donald Trump promises a quick settlement of the conflict through negotiations.
According to the publication, on the evening of January 9, Macron and Starmer, during a joint meeting, confirmed their "unwavering support" for Kyiv and the importance of giving the state the "strongest position" in 2025.
A detailed plan for the peacekeeping mission may emerge at a later stage of the negotiations to avoid any risk of escalation, Bloomberg notes.
What preceded
On February 26, 2024, nearly 20 European leaders met in Paris to discuss threats from Russia. After the conference, French President Emmanuel Macron said that sending NATO troops to Ukraine in the future should not be ruled out.
Some NATO members have come out in support of Macron. Finland and the Baltic states have urged the West not to rule out the idea of deploying troops to Ukraine in case of a critical situation. Bloomberg wrote that Macronʼs statement angered American officials, who fear an escalation with Russia.
On May 27, it became known that France would send its military instructors to Ukraine. On June 7, Macron asked Joe Biden to take the same step. The US leader did not support the idea.
At the end of November 2024, the French publication Le Monde, citing sources, wrote that discussions had resumed in the West about sending troops and private military companies to Ukraine.
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