On Monday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will announce that he is ready to send forces to Ukraine.

The British Prime Minister writes this in The Telegraph.

In an exclusive article for the conservative British newspaper, Starmer says he has not taken lightly the decision to consider putting British soldiers “at risk”.

It’s the first time he has explicitly said he is considering sending British peacekeepers to Ukraine, and the statement comes ahead of a meeting of European leaders in Paris on Monday, who appear to be gripped by sheer panic following the Trump administration’s statements in recent days.

Securing a lasting peace in Ukraine that safeguards the country’s sovereignty in the long term is essential if we are to deter Putin from further aggression in the future.

To achieve this, Europe and the US must continue to work closely together – and I believe the UK can play a unique role in helping to make this happen, just as we did last week, when we stepped in to chair the Contact Group on the Defence of Ukraine.

Trump has spoken favourably of Starmer, but Starmer has a foreign secretary and an ambassador to the US who have spoken very negatively of the new president of Britain’s most important ally.

Starmer seems to understand that the new administration in the US is serious about Europe taking more responsibility, but the European fear of Putin is evident (and this writer is not suggesting it is wrong).

As European nations, we need to increase our defence spending and take on a greater role in NATO. Non-US NATO countries have already increased their defence spending by 20 per cent in the past year, but we need to go further.

Starmer makes it clear that he believes the UK should play a leading role in further supporting Ukraine’s military forces. The UK government has committed to contributing £3bn a year until at least 2030.

This is likely to be controversial among a population that is experiencing a sharp decline in living standards as Ukraine and Net Zero are prioritised.

Starmer says in no uncertain terms that he is prepared to put British troops on the ground if necessary.

I don’t say that lightly. I feel very strongly about the responsibility that comes with potentially putting British soldiers at risk. But any role in helping to guarantee Ukraine’s security is to help guarantee the security of our continent, and the security of this country.

On the peace talks, Starmer says that Ukraine must have a seat at the table, and that Europe must contribute. It seems that the British Prime Minister has not taken on board the statements of the new US government.

He believes that NATO membership for Ukraine is only delayed.

While NATO membership may take time, we should continue to support Ukraine’s irreversible path towards membership of the alliance.

How reality-orientated this is after the signals from the White House is an interesting discussion.