UK ready 'to put boots on the ground, planes in the air' to back Ukraine peace deal, Starmer says

NATO countries and Canada have decided to increase military aid to Ukraine and economic sanctions against Russia so that the kyiv government can negotiate with Moscow "from a position of strength," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said after an emergency summit in London of heads of state and government of 15 countries allied to Ukraine.

This is a four-phase agreement that must be presented to the United States and endorsed by Washington. It is unclear whether that will happen at this point, given the climate of personal confrontation between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, broadcast live to the world during their verbal sparring in the Oval Office on Thursday.

In recent hours, Zelensky has given signs of wanting to get things back on track. And, in an absolutely unexpected message on his social network Truth, Donald Trump published a column published in the American press on Sunday in which he seemed to declare that he was willing to reopen negotiations with kyiv for an agreement on the exploitation of the mines of both countries.

Unlike Trump's messages, the agreement reached in London has four very clear points, although without specific commitments from the parties. Two of these points are the steps prior to negotiation, and can be summed up as an increase in European military and economic aid to Ukraine, so that the country can, in Starmer's words, "put itself in the strongest position possible" to be able to "negotiate (with Russia) from a position of strength."

The last two points are about implementing the peace deal, or, as Starmer said, "ensuring peace when it comes," which is a clear reference to the fact that, at least in theory, Europe is in no hurry to achieve a cessation of fighting at any price (provided Ukraine pays the cost), as the United States wants. These peacekeeping measures include security guarantees to Ukraine that it will be defended in the event of a third Russian invasion or attempts at destabilization by Moscow, the training and modernization of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and the creation of a "coalition of the willing," which will have military forces deployed on Ukrainian territory to, if necessary, defend it, which would mean war with Russia.

Starmer reiterated Britain's commitment to sending troops to Ukraine, saying he would put such a force with "boots on the ground and planes in the skies." The agreement contains a number of concessions to Russia and the United States and represents an explicit downgrading of Zelensky's positions.