Keir Starmer’s spokesman said “nothing is off the table” when it comes to the kind of military support the UK could give to Ukraine.
Speculation over just what the prime minister’s “coalition of the willing” would do to support Kyiv in the event of a peace deal with Russia is mounting, especially as EU leaders remain divided over how much military aid to send to the war-torn country.
While Donald Trump is pulling away from the west and pushing for a quick resolution to the war – even it means settling on Vladimir Putin’s terms – European countries are looking to protect both Ukraine’s sovereignty and the continent’s wider security.
The PM previously claimed the UK would be willing to put “boots on the ground” amid hopes that he could muster a 30,000 strong force with allies.
However, recent reports from the FT and Bloomberg suggest Starmer is pivoting towards air and sea support instead.
Yet, when asked by journalists if the UK’s focus had moved away from giving Kyiv land support and towards sea or air backing, the prime minister’s spokesman said this was not the case.
He said: “No, nothing is off the table on any of these fronts, so I wouldn’t start ruling anything out.
“But, clearly thousands of troops will be required to support any deployment, whether that is at sea, on land or in the air.”
He added that any such deployment would need substantial support of firming up of “basic logistics” such as “moving people and ensuring deployment rotations, so as the PM said, we need to be prepared for all eventualities.”
The official also noted that more London-based meetings will be taking place next week among allied nations to “accelerate” planning on how they can support Ukraine if a peace deal is agreed.
He said plans are now in “an operational phase”, as nations look at “potential design of force structures, interoperability and what capability is needed to ensure a sovereign Ukraine is able to defend itself for generations to come.”
This includes weaponry, personnel and intelligence capabilities.
He added: “This delivers on the prime minister’s plan to support Ukraine by ramping up delivery of weapons and equipment, boosting Ukraine’s defensive capabilities in the long-term, working with allies to develop robust security assurances and keeping up the pressure on President Putin.
“Next week, we’ll continue to accelerate the pace and scale of operational planning with further meetings at our Northwood headquarters as we look forward more closely at the details and structure of any future force.”
The prime minister will be speaking to officials from the bloc and non-EU allies later today as they explore how best to back Ukraine.
There’s no sign of the US backstop though, which the PM has repeatedly said is required for any peace deal.