Downing Street has refused to rule out UK troops being deployed to Ukraine to help keep the peace if a ceasefire is agreed with Russia.
A senior Nato official was anonymously quoted telling Radio Free Europe that Britain and France were considering deploying their nations’ troops to monitor any armistice following negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow which look increasingly likely.
It is the second report of discussions between London and Paris about troop deployments to Ukraine in as many weeks, with Western allies thought to be weighing up options in anticipation of Donald Trump assuming the US presidency next month, with the Republican saying he could end the war in a day through a deal.
The Nato official said the talks were taking place between the two governments and not within the defence pact’s structures.
Reports this month said one plan Trump was considering was an 800-mile buffer zone between Ukraine and Russia policed by British and EU troops.
French President Emmanuel Macron this year raised the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine, while his foreign affairs minister told BBC News that Paris “does not discard any option”.
Sir Keir Starmer said at a major foreign policy speech on Monday night that Ukraine had to be put in the “strongest possible position for negotiations”, prompting an urgent question in the Commons in which a Foreign Minister was forced to deny the Prime Minister had changed its approach to Ukraine.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy is expected to press Nato to increase military support for Ukraine as he meets allies in Brussels on Wednesday morning.
He is also expected to call for the military alliance to deter co-operation between Moscow and other countries following the deployment of 10,000 North Korea troops to assist Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Investment in Ukraine’s security is investment in Euro-Atlantic and global security,” Lammy said ahead of the meeting. “Ninety-nine per cent of military support to Ukraine has been from Nato allies.
“This support is critical to enabling Ukraine to defend itself against Russian aggression, and the UK and allies must double down on our efforts to ensure Ukraine prevails.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested for the first time this week that a ceasefire deal could be struck if the territory in his country still under Kyiv control is taken “under the Nato umbrella” to protect it against further Russian invasion.
Asked about the reports of British troops being deployed to Ukraine alongside the French to monitor a ceasefire, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We have no plans for this.
“But more broadly, we consistently said we will do whatever it takes to support Ukraine. But I wouldn’t get into kind of hypotheticals.”
Foreign Minister Catherine West on Tuesday pledged the UK would support Kyiv in pursuit of “a just peace on its own terms”.
Conservative shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel had asked her whether Starmer’s comments represented “a departure from the current approach” towards the conflict.
West replied: “Could I reassure (Dame Priti) that there is no change in the UK position. We have always said we will support Ukraine to achieve a just peace on its own terms.
“The PM has been clear, including in his speech last night, that we must continue to back Ukraine and do what it takes to support self defence for as long as it takes, because it’s for Ukraine to determine its position in any future discussions.
“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin cannot be trusted. Russia has violated multiple previous agreements. The clearest path to peace is for Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine tomorrow and respect Ukrainian borders.”
The Prime Minister was “making the point that all wars end in some form of negotiation” in his speech, his official spokesman meanwhile told reporters.
The spokesman added: “Ultimately, it will be up to Ukraine to determine how this war should end, and we will put them in the best possible position to achieve a just peace on their own terms.”
No 10 and the Foreign Secretary David Lammy last week ruled out UK troops fighting alongside Ukrainians in the ongoing war.
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