LONDON, December 16. /TASS/. The "Coalition of the Willing" has prepared plans to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capability and deploy troops to the country if necessary, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
"What we did with the Coalition of the Willing was to draw up… We had a political process with the leaders, we had a military process with the military planners, and we said that we want military plans for the air, for the sea, and for the ground, and for Ukraine’s own capability. So we now have military plans in each of those areas. If necessary, that does involve ground deployment but obviously, at the moment, the prior question is whether we can get a just and lasting peace," he pointed out, answering questions from committee heads at the House of Commons.
The British authorities have for months been expressing readiness to send troops to Ukraine after a ceasefire is achieved. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier that NATO troop presence in Ukraine, under any flag or capacity, would represent a direct threat to Russia. He emphasized that Moscow would not accept such a presence under any circumstances.
The leaders of key European countries issued a statement on Monday, saying that security guarantees for Kiev should involve the creation of "a European-led 'multinational force Ukraine' made up from contributions from willing nations within the framework of the Coalition of the Willing and supported by the US."