UK 'ready to spend over GBP 100 mln' on possible deployment of British troops in Ukraine – defense secretary
The UK is ready to spend "significantly more" than GBP 100 million on a possible deployment of British troops in Ukraine if Donald Trump concludes a peace deal with Russia, said British Defense Secretary John Healy during a lecture at London's Mansion House, Sky News reports.
Healey used a lecture at Mansion House in London to talk about efforts led by the UK and France to build a "coalition of the willing" of more than 30 nations to form what he called a "Multinational Force Ukraine" over the past six months.
The Defense Secretary's plan involves training military personnel to join a multinational force that would be sent to secure Ukraine's borders if the US president brokers a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv.
He said British troops could be ready to deploy as soon as that happens, and added that this could include ground troops.
The force would help secure Ukraine's air and sea space and prepare its troops if Russia agreed to end a full-scale war.
Healy announced Britain's support for Ukraine, including a record GBP 4.5 billion in aid this year, and taking over from the U.S. the co-chairmanship of a wider group of countries that send arms and money to Kyiv.