The UK’s army is so small that it could not keep a large peace-keeping force in Ukraine for long, a former defence chief is warning. Lord Richard Dannatt, former head of the British Army, said Sir Keir Starmer was doing the “right thing” in committing the UK to play its full part in any peace-keeping mission to end Vladimir Putin’s three-year war. But he stressed: “We haven’t got the numbers and we haven’t got the equipment to put a large force onto the ground for an extended period of time at the present moment.”.
He emphasised that a major role in a peace-keeping operation would come at a “considerable cost”. The Prime Minister is joining European leaders for emergency talks in Paris as they scramble for a strategy in response to Donald Trump’s push for a deal with Russian president Putin and fears the US will reduce its defence commitments in the continent. Trump has also been hit with a major backlash after his Defence Secretary Pete Hegsweth signalled before any talks had started that annexed Crimea will stay in Russian hands, sparking an accusation of a ‘stench’ of Nazi appeasement over Washington’s stance.
Sir Keir said the crisis was a “once in a generation moment” and an “existential” question for Europe. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, the Prime Minister said the UK was “ready to play a leading role” in Ukraine’s defence and security, including the commitment of £3 billion a year until 2030. But he said that along with military aid to Ukraine “it also means being ready and willing to contribute to security guarantees to Ukraine by putting our own troops on the ground if necessary”.
Lord Dannatt, who was chief of the general staff between 2006 and 2009, told BBC Breakfast: “My reaction is the Prime Minister is doing the right thing. But, of course, doing the right thing comes at a price. “If the Prime Minister is serious about wanting to deploy British troops, put boots on the ground in Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force, he’s got to realise that’s going to come at a considerable cost.”.
Lord Dannatt later went on: “Frankly, we haven’t got the numbers and we haven’t got the equipment to put a large force onto the ground for an extended period of time at the present moment. “Now, if Keir Starmer wants to do that, that’s fine. The British Army will always stand up to the plate, but here we go again. We’ve got to have the right number of people with the right equipment and the right training, and start to fund that now.”.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in Saudi Arabia ahead of talks with senior Russian officials on a possible peace deal for Ukraine, following Mr Trump’s direct phone conversation with Mr Putin on Wednesday. But Ukrainian officials are not expected to be at the table at this stage, while other European leaders might not be involved in the process at all. Sir Keir said: “Ukraine must be at the table in these negotiations, because anything less would accept Putin’s position that Ukraine is not a real nation.”.
He restated his position that Ukraine’s path to Nato membership is “irreversible” and suggested squeezing Russia’s economy by going further on the oil price cap, targeting the shadow fleet used to transport exports, sanctioning of oil giants and taking action against banks enabling the evasion of sanctions. The US stance on Ukraine and demands for Europe to do more to pay for and provide its own security increased pressure for greater defence spending across the continent.
