UK ready to put ‘boots on ground’ in Ukraine if ceasefire reached, says minister

>John Healey says Britain is committed to helping secure peace ahead of Trump-Putin meeting in Anchorage

>Defence secretary John Healey has said the government is “ready to put UK boots on the ground” in Ukraine if a ceasefire is secured, as US President Donald Trump prepares to meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Anchorage.

>Healey, who was on Friday attending an event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the allied victory over Japan in the second world war, said the so-called Coalition of the Willing was ready to go on “day one” of a ceasefire to help secure peace in Ukraine.

>“In the circumstances of a ceasefire we’re ready to put UK boots on the ground in Ukraine,” Healey told the BBC.

>“They are ready to go, they’re ready to act from day one.”

>Healey said questions over what UK forces in Ukraine would do in the event of a renewed Russian attack were “hypotheticals” but it was a principle that “any British forces have the right to defend themselves if attacked”.

>However, he emphasised the main objective of the Coalition of the Willing alliance that the UK and France have tried to assemble was to help provide reassurance to Ukraine while helping rebuild its armed forces to provide future deterrence to Russia.

>“In the end the strongest deterrence against Russia reinvading or regrouping and relaunching their aggression against Ukraine is the strength of Ukraine,” Healey said.

https://www.ft.com/content/ccd2b0fd-a4a9-4095-8e95-62b45d422063

UK ready to put ‘boots on ground’ in Ukraine if ceasefire reached, says minister

>John Healey says Britain is committed to helping secure peace ahead of Trump-Putin meeting in Anchorage

>Defence secretary John Healey has said the government is “ready to put UK boots on the ground” in Ukraine if a ceasefire is secured, as US President Donald Trump prepares to meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Anchorage.

>Healey, who was on Friday attending an event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the allied victory over Japan in the second world war, said the so-called Coalition of the Willing was ready to go on “day one” of a ceasefire to help secure peace in Ukraine.

>“In the circumstances of a ceasefire we’re ready to put UK boots on the ground in Ukraine,” Healey told the BBC.

>“They are ready to go, they’re ready to act from day one.”

>Healey said questions over what UK forces in Ukraine would do in the event of a renewed Russian attack were “hypotheticals” but it was a principle that “any British forces have the right to defend themselves if attacked”.

>However, he emphasised the main objective of the Coalition of the Willing alliance that the UK and France have tried to assemble was to help provide reassurance to Ukraine while helping rebuild its armed forces to provide future deterrence to Russia.

>“In the end the strongest deterrence against Russia reinvading or regrouping and relaunching their aggression against Ukraine is the strength of Ukraine,” Healey said.

https://www.ft.com/content/ccd2b0fd-a4a9-4095-8e95-62b45d422063