UK Defense Secretary confirms readiness to send troops to Ukraine
Photo: UK Secretary of State for Defense John Healey (Getty Images)
UK Secretary of State for Defense John Healey confirmed plans to send troops to Ukraine once the war is over. However, he declined to provide details, citing security concerns, in response to a question from an RBC-Ukraine correspondent.
He confirmed Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statement that Britain was prepared to deploy troops, adding that this would happen after the war in Ukraine ends.
At the same time, Healey refused to disclose specifics, saying that doing so would only make Russian leader Vladimir Putin better informed.
He stressed that all countries involved in the discussions, which he co-chaired with Ukraine’s Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal, were determined not to reveal details of their plans for that reason.
Healey assured that the plans and commitments are real and cover the possible deployment of aircraft, ships, or ground troops to Ukraine. He emphasized that these commitments were significant, adding that the UK believed peace was possible and must be prepared for when it comes.
Preparation of security guarantees for Ukraine
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised that Ukraine and its partners would prepare written security guarantees this week. He recently outlined three key pillars of such guarantees: maintaining Ukraine’s army, cooperation with NATO countries, and sanctions against Russia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that discussions on Ukraine’s security guarantees were going very well. She noted that after any peace agreement, Ukraine would need a significant number of European troops to help prevent new aggression. She also stressed that Ukraine’s partners had drawn up a clear roadmap for providing these guarantees.
