UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is ready to place British troops in Ukraine for “as long as it takes”.
He has said troops could be deployed to Ukraine for years, alongside western allies in order to maintain a ceasefire.
Members of the “coalition of the willing” will meet in London on Thursday to speak “in great specificity” on where the peacekeeping force should be sent.
Countries such as the UK, France, Canada, Australia and Turkey have discussed sending up to 30,000 troops to the war-torn country.
Countries such as the UK, France, Canada, Australia and Turkey have discussed sending up to 30,000 troops to the war-torn country
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Starmer has neither confirmed nor denied if the force will have authorisation to fire at Russian soldiers in the case of an attack.
The specific rules are expected to be discussed in the coming days.
This comes as US President Donald Trump is expected to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week on a proposed 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine.
The peacekeeping force would be sent to Ukraine after a full ceasefire, which would only come if Russia agrees to a peace deal “in the air and at sea” followed by a full stop to the war including ground forces.
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Russia has continuously repeated that it would not accept a peacekeeping force, however French President Emmanuel Macron hit back, saying Russia will have no say in whether foreign soldiers are deployed.
He said: “If Ukraine asks allied forces to be on its territory it is not up to Russia to accept or not.”
Commenting on the deployment of British troops, a senior government source said the move would be open ended.
They said: “It would be a long-term commitment, we are talking about years. As long as it takes to preserve a peace deal and deter Russia.”
Russia has continously repeated that it would not accept a peacekeeping force
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Starmer, however, has insisted the UK will not send troops to Ukraine unless there is a security guarantee from the US, which Trump has repeatedly refused to give.
The US administration suggested that economic imperatives, such as a minerals deal between them and Ukraine, would be enough to stop Russia from launching a new attack.
The UK however has argued that Putin cannot be trusted, with Starmer accusing the Russian leader of “playing games” after he delayed committing to a temporary ceasefire.
Speaking at a press conference in Downing Street, Starmer said the “world needs action now” and “new commitments” had been made on peacekeeping, adding that Putin would have to negotiate “sooner or later”.
However, a deal may be close, as Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East, met with the Russian president for several hours in Moscow last week.
Witkoff has said he believes a call between the US leader and Putin will be “really good and positive”, adding that the US is also continuing to engage with Ukraine.