UK‑France peacekeeping plan in Ukraine would need tens of thousands of troops, officials say

Independent.co reports that Sir Richard Shirreff warned the British and French agreement signed in Paris committing boots on the ground in Ukraine would require "serious numbers" of troops to face down Russia.

Sir Richard, a former Nato deputy supreme allied commander, said any reassurance or enforcement force must be able to "overmatch" Russia and pointed to the roughly 50,000 troops Nato deployed to Kosovo in 1999 as a comparison. Former defence secretary Sir Gavin Williamson said Britain would need about 40,000 personnel for an effective operation. Last year there were around 147,000 people in the UK armed forces, with just over half assigned to the army, and Sir Richard criticised recent defence spending levels, saying "a government without a sword is useless."

No 10 declined to say how many troops the UK could deploy, with the prime minister's spokesman warning he would not "get into potential force structures." Sir Keir has promised a House of Commons vote, but Downing Street would not guarantee MPs could block deployment. The Independent also reported that other countries, including Germany, have indicated they are considering joining France and Britain, while Sir Gavin warned the UK would need to expand its army to around 76,000 personnel and currently does not have the manpower to do so.

Key Topics

Politics, Richard Shirreff, Gavin Williamson, Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelensky, Nato