British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has offered to send British soldiers to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force if an agreement for a ceasefire is reached. Starmer's proposal, which could be joined by other European countries, will be discussed this Monday at the summit convened in Paris by President Emmanuel Macron.
"The UK is willing to play a leading role in ensuring the defense and security of Ukraine," he states in an article in The Daily Telegraph, the Labour leader, who has also committed as a "bridge" to Donald Trump.
"Ensuring Ukraine's security is ensuring the security of our continent and our country," added Starmer on the eve of the European leaders' meeting in Paris. Sweden was the first country to step up and show its willingness to contribute to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
"We must first negotiate a just peace that respects international laws," stated Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenegard. "And when we reach a peace agreement, it will be necessary to maintain it, and our government does not rule out any option."
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, on behalf of the Baltic and Nordic countries, will play a key role in the urgent meeting of European countries in Paris, which also includes European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
The meeting will serve to outline the European response to the negotiations initiated in Riyadh between Washington and Moscow, without the participation of Ukraine and disregarding European allies. The meeting will also serve to assess European defense capabilities and the future of NATO, including the possible automatic admission of Ukraine in case Russia violates the conditions of a hypothetical ceasefire.
Starmer himself declared last week that Ukraine's path to NATO is "irreversible." The Prime Minister aims to consolidate his role as a mediator towards Washington in Paris and will indeed fulfill a role as a European envoy in his scheduled meeting next week with Donald Trump at the White House.