British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called in an interview with The New York Times on European countries to develop a preliminary plan to guarantee security and contain Russia in the event of a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev.
“We cannot sit and wait for a deal, and when it happens, agree and scratch our heads“, the publication quoted the British politician.
According to him, the lack of reliable security guarantees will leave Kiev defenseless and Europe must play a leading role in providing these guarantees.
Starmer praised US President Donald Trump's initiatives for a peace settlement and stressed that London and Washington are "connected in a way that they have not related other two countries".
On March 20, a meeting of military leaders from the “coalition of the willing“ countries was held in London to discuss the operational details of sending troops to Ukraine after the conflict is resolved. It was attended by representatives from about 30 Western countries. On the same day, the British Prime Minister said that the kingdom was drawing up plans for military land, sea and air operations in Ukraine to ensure compliance with the peace agreement.
Earlier, British media reported that London and Paris hoped to form a "peacekeeping corps" of 10 to 30 thousand soldiers to secure a peace agreement for Ukraine. It was also noted that under the agreement, British RAF fighter jets could patrol Ukrainian airspace, taking off from Polish territory.
On March 12, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the presence of NATO troops under any flag and in any capacity on Ukrainian territory was a threat to Russia. He said that he would not accept this under any circumstances.