Ukraine 'reassurance force' will include British troops

Starmer vows to back any peace deal with boots on ground

- MILLIE COOKE

The UK is preparing to deploy troops to Ukraine as part of a “reassurance force” if a peace deal is reached with Russia - but Donald Trump has ruled out the US doing the same.

The pledge came after Sir Keir Starmer co-chaired a meeting of the “coalition of the willing” attended by more than 30 international leaders to lay out plans to meet their American counterparts to agree security guarantees for Ukraine to deter future Russian aggression.

The virtual meeting yesterday, which followed the leaders’ talks with Mr Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington on Monday, also discussed possible further sanctions on Russia to pile pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the war.

But questions remain about how genuine the Russian leader is about wanting to find a peace after three and a half years of devastating conflict. Just hours after the meeting, Moscow launched its biggest aerial attack in a month, firing 270 drones and 10 missiles at central Ukraine.

And while the US president is pushing for the first face-to-face meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders in six years, Putin’s reported initial suggestion of Moscow for the venue was quickly rejected by Kyiv.

European leaders are now trying to nail down the specifics of what any US security guarantees will look like. While President Trump has said the US would be willing to help with some aspects, such as providing air support, he has ruled out putting US boots on the ground or allowing Ukraine to join Nato.