THE UK is prepared to commit over £100 million on sending British forces to Ukraine, the defence secretary has said.
John Healey called Vladimir Putin the UK’s “number one enemy” and cautioned the world is entering a “new era of threat”.
Healey said the UK would be ready to deploy forces to the war-torn nation as soon as Donald Trump secures a peace deal with Russia.
During a speech in London, he said the plan involves sending British personnel to join a multinational force.
Together, the “coalition of the willing” – made up of more than 30 nations and led by the UK and France – would help secure Ukraine‘s borders.
He said: “Peace is possible, and if President Trump can broker a peace, then we will be ready to help secure that peace for the long term.
“That requires us to invest and prepare our forces to be ready to deploy.”
He added: “For our Armed Forces, I am already reviewing readiness levels and accelerating millions of pounds of funding to prepare for any possible deployment into Ukraine.”
Healey even suggested British troops were ready to be flown to Ukraine as soon as a deal is brokered, including soldiers on the ground.
He said: “Keir Starmer has said, if necessary, he’s willing to see UK boots on the ground in Ukraine.
“And I’ve accelerated already millions of pounds in that preparation for any possible deployment in the event of peace.”
But while “already millions of pounds” have been deployed in preparation for peace the defence secretary warned the world was entering a “new era of threat”.
His comments come as the Prime Minister is set to urge allies on Friday to step up their economic efforts to “cripple” the tyrant’s military.
The meeting was forged amid growing concerns about Trump’s support for Ukraine.
Starmer previously said: “We must be resolute in our support for Ukraine and I’m committed to intensifying our efforts to cripple Putin’s war machine.
“Russia‘s stalling tactics have shown time and time again that Ukraine is the only party serious about peace.
“We can all see that Putin is not and he continues to choose violence and destruction.
“Tyrants like Putin only respond to strength.
“We must ramp up the pressure on his economy and defence industry, as we did last week with a major package of sanctions until he’s ready to make peace.
“As winter approaches we will continue to step up our support, humanitarian, financial and military, so Ukraine can defend its people and its sovereignty.
“We cannot lose sight of the fact that Ukraine’s future is our future, and the next few days and weeks will be pivotal for the future of European security.”
Trump’s support for Ukraine was put into question earlier this week when he and Zelensky wound up in shouting match after the US President insisted Kyiv must accept some territorial losses to end the war.
The Ukrainian leader was looking to secure the much-hyped Tomahawk weapons, which would give Ukraine the power to strike deep inside Russia.
Zelensky offered Trump “thousands of drones” in exchange for the missiles but was refused on the grounds that these would drive a “dangerous escalation” in the war.
The meeting then reportedly grew so fraught that Trump dramatically pushed aside maps of Ukraine‘s frontline which a defiant Zelensky had brought with him.
Trump warned Zelensky that “Putin will destroy you” if the conflict worsens, according to a European official briefed on the talks.
