The Telegraph: UK may send troops to Ukraine

The UK plans to send its contingent to the territory of Ukraine within the first week after a possible truce with Russia is reached, The Daily Telegraph has reported. This was reported by The Daily Telegraph.

According to the newspaper, hundreds of British military instructors and engineers will be sent to Ukraine to help rebuild the Ukrainian armed forces in the event of a suspension of hostilities.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also approved the use of Royal Air Force fighter jets to jointly patrol the airspace over Ukraine with allies in order to monitor compliance with the ceasefire.

For his part, Defence Secretary John Healey stressed that British troops would be able to fight back in case of an attack. He added that the deployment of British troops in Ukraine after the ceasefire would be a signal to the Kremlin and demonstrate that the West supports Kiev.

This would be a significant reinforcement of the UK's role in supporting Kiev against the Russian threat, although it creates certain risks for those on the ground. The plans have been months in the making with European allies as part of the 'Coalition of the willing' initiative, and this week they have taken on particular urgency," The Telegraph writes.

The Telegraph notes that the first deployment of troops is likely to be public to demonstrate to Russia that the West will not abandon Ukraine. Full-scale implementation of the plans, however, including patrols by Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets, will take several weeks.

The Coalition of the willing initiative involves the deployment of British troops to Ukraine to monitor the ceasefire and support the Ukrainian armed forces.