Boris Johnson calls on British troops to defend Ukraine's borders as part of peace deal

Boris Johnson has called on British troops to engage in peacekeeping duties on the Ukrainian border as part of any ceasefire deal.

The former British prime minister told The Daily Telegraph that peacekeeping responsibilities should be carried out by a multinational group of Western nations.

“I don’t think we should send combat troops to confront the Russians,” he said.

“But I think as part of the solution, as part of the end state, there will have to be multinational European peacekeeping forces policing the border. [and] help the Ukrainians.

1001 days after the start of this war, the fundamental struggle remains the same. This is a fight between the great Ukrainian ideals of freedom, democracy and independence on the one hand and the brutal and criminal aggression of Vladimir Putin on the other.

Proud to wear this T-shirt designed by Kyiv.… pic.twitter.com/SS1k44guZZ

– Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 20, 2024

“I don’t see that such a European operation could take place without the British.”

This comes against the backdrop of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump in January.

The new leader has called for speeding up peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and spoke on the campaign trail about his intention to end the war within 24 hours.

Mr Johnson said other European countries should be transparent about any security or funding guarantees offered as part of a possible peace deal.

One of the options he put forward was Ukraine's membership in NATO.

The alliance's treaty requires all members to defend each other in the event of attack.

“We need to clarify what kind of security guarantees we think are appropriate,” he said.

“The only thing that really works is a NATO Article 5 guarantee that has kept the peace in Europe for 80 years.

“This is why the Baltic countries are part of NATO. This is why the Poles, Hungarians, Czechs, Finns and Swedes are now part of NATO.”

Separately, outgoing US President Joe Biden's administration has urged Ukraine to lower the conscription age from 25 to 18 to help it expand its pool of combat-age men.

The former prime minister's comments come less than a day after Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, as his country's power grid faces bombing by Russian forces.

Russia's new attack on Ukraine's power grid, the second in less than two weeks, has reinforced fears that the Kremlin hopes to cripple its foe's electricity production before winter.

A million homes have lost power in the war-torn country, according to Ukrainian officials.

Russia's new attack on Ukraine's power grid, the second in less than two weeks, has reinforced fears that the Kremlin hopes to cripple its foe's electricity production before winter.

A million homes have lost power in the war-torn country, according to Ukrainian officials.

I spoke with the British Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer and informed him of a new act of Russian aerial terrorism targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, involving more than 90 missiles and nearly 100 drones.

I expressed my gratitude for the UK’s continued support, including the… pic.twitter.com/o88ihS3wnJ

– Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) November 28, 2024

Downing Street described the Russian strikes as “egregious”, adding that the Prime Minister called them “systematic” and “depraved” during his meeting with Mr Zelensky.

Amid the attacks, Mr Zelenskiy “expressed gratitude for the UK's continued support, including its commitment to provide at least £3 billion a year to meet Ukraine's needs” during his call with the Prime Minister.

In a new signal that British Storm Shadow missiles are likely being used by kyiv, the Ukrainian president added: “We discussed advancing our defense cooperation and strengthening Ukraine's long-range capabilities . »

British authorities will not be prompted to confirm that they authorized Ukraine to use these weapons to strike targets in Russia.

Number 10 would simply say that “both leaders stressed the importance of putting Ukraine in the best possible position ahead of another difficult winter of conflict.”