Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned Vladimir Putin that Russia will face “severe consequences” if it breaches any future peace deal with Ukraine, as Western military planners began drawing up security arrangements at a UK military base.
Speaking after a meeting of officials from 31 countries at Northwood in north-west London, Starmer said the planning was designed to make it clear to Russia that there would be a price for violating an agreement. He stressed that Ukraine’s sovereignty must be respected and that Putin cannot be allowed to dictate how Kyiv defends itself.
“Putin wants a defenceless Ukraine and I think that tells you everything about why we need to do this planning,” Starmer told reporters. “You don’t let the person who’s invaded your country tell you what defence capability you have.” He added that the security arrangements would require a US component to ensure credibility.
The prime minister did not repeat his earlier promise to put British troops on the ground, instead indicating that allied forces would provide support by air, sea and land to reinforce, rather than replace, Ukrainian troops. “The Ukrainian forces are amongst the strongest now in Europe,” he said. “We’re not talking about something that replaces their capability, we’re talking about something that reinforces it.”
The meeting included representatives from France, Poland, the Netherlands, Romania, Canada and Australia, as well as the US and Italy, despite Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni having described the plans as “risky and ineffective”. The talks took place as negotiations between the US, Ukraine and Russia are expected to resume in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, focusing on a 30-day pause in attacks on energy infrastructure.
Starmer acknowledged that a full peace deal has not yet been reached, but said planning must proceed for both a ceasefire and a comprehensive agreement. “The point of the security arrangements is to make it clear to Russia there will be severe consequences if they are to breach any deal,” he said.
