Starmer not moving away from having UK ground forces in Ukraine, says Miliband

Sir Keir Starmer is not moving away from the idea of placing British ground forces in Ukraine as part of a future peacekeeping deal, one of his most senior ministers said.

The Prime Minister on Thursday said the so-called “coalition of the willing” was dividing its planning efforts between air, sea, land and borders, and regenerating Ukraine.

He did not explicitly repeat his previous commitment to put boots on the ground in Ukraine, leading some to speculate Sir Keir was shifting the emphasis of the mission.

But Energy Secretary Ed Miliband signalled this was not the case.

“I think people are over-interpreting what the Prime Minister said yesterday,” he told Sky News.

Ceasefire

The senior Cabinet minister added: “Look, I think work is obviously ongoing on the terms of a ceasefire and the protection that will be put in place to protect that ceasefire and to protect the people of Ukraine. That operational planning, that military planning, is ongoing.

“You wouldn’t expect me to get into the detail of that but I don’t think people should jump to conclusions.

“That planning is an ongoing process and obviously is one going on in concert with our allies, and indeed in concert with Ukraine and the government of Ukraine.”

On Thursday, Sir Keir met planners from 31 allied countries at Northwood military headquarters in north-west London, to firm up proposals for the so-called coalition of the willing to help enforce any peace agreement.

European and Commonwealth nations have signed up to the allied effort, which would aim to deter Russia from breaking a ceasefire.

After the meeting, Sir Keir warned that Moscow would face “severe consequences” if it breached any peace deal with Kyiv amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure a truce to end the war.

Nuclear deterrent

As Britain and its allies square up to Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Defence Secretary John Healey meanwhile told the Times newspaper that Britain could do “untold damage” to adversaries with its nuclear deterrent.

Calls this week between US President Donald Trump, Mr Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have failed to produce the 30-day ceasefire envisaged by the White House.

Instead, the Russian leader agreed to a suspension of attacks on energy infrastructure, although Ukraine has said other civilian targets including a hospital have since been struck.

Mr Zelensky said he believes a “lasting peace can be achieved this year” after he spoke on the phone with Mr Trump on Tuesday.

In the same call, the US leader suggested that Washington takes ownership of Ukrainian power plants to ensure their security, though his Ukrainian counterpart later said this would only relate to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in south-east Ukraine.

Further peace talks are due to take place in Saudi Arabia over the weekend, with delegations from Kyiv and Moscow expected to meet US officials.