The British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said that the UK will not send UK troops to Ukraine, despite Keir Starmer meeting with the French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the option.
Le Monde reported the British Prime Minister and French President reignited the conversation of sending British and French troops to Ukraine amid Donald Trump’s victory in the US.
Lammy was asked over the Le Monde report of sending British troops to Ukraine, he said, “We are very clear that we stand ready and continue to support the Ukrainians with training particularly, but there has been a longstanding position that we are not committing UK troops to the theatre of action,” he told reporters at the G7 meeting in Italy.
“That is certainly the UK position and remains the UK position at this time.”
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Lammy was asked if the UK will send private contractors to Ukraine, he said, “We are not committing UK troops on the ground to Ukraine, but we continue to support Ukraine with training and military assistance, and we have been absolutely clear that we will continue to do that for as long as is required and is needed.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said there are “no plans” to send British forces to Ukraine.
He added, “We’ve previously had a limited number of troops providing medical training.
“And of course, we’ve had a significant training programme here in the UK for Ukrainian troops, and we were providing significant amounts of military aid support for Ukraine, which we’re committed to providing for as long as it takes.
“And UK support is unwavering, and we obviously want to put Ukraine in the best possible position as winter approaches, but we’re not considering putting UK troops in combat alongside Ukrainian troops.”
On Monday we reported the UK and France will “not discard any option” in sending troops or private defence contractors to Ukraine.
This comes as Donald Trump will take to the White House on 20 January 2025 and this has sparked fears the new President will pull out all military assets and stop sending military aid to Ukraine which could hand victory to Vladimir Putin.
Le Monde reported on Monday citing undisclosed sources, on 11 November when Sir Keir Starmer was in Paris meeting with the French President Emmanuel Macron, the pair discussed the possibility of putting boots on the ground in Ukraine.
Le Monde said that Starmer and Macron will not rule out taking the lead with a pro-Kyiv coalition and create a core of allies in Europe focussing on establishing greater security in Europe, as Trump could withdraw military support.
Discussions to send British and French troops to Ukraine is ongoing and the details are currently classified.
The French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the West must “not set and express red lines” when providing military support to Ukraine.
The BBC asked Barrot if sending French soldiers to Ukraine will cross the red line, he said Paris will “not discard any option.”
