Britain is considering deploying troops to Ukraine for five years under plans being discussed by allies, The Telegraph can disclose,
The Telegraph reports.
Military chiefs want the deployment to help train and reconstitute the Ukrainian army to prevent Vladimir Putin from mounting another invasion.
A scheme for a phased withdrawal was raised in the discussions being led by Britain and France over a “coalition of the willing” to uphold any post-conflict peace agreement.
Under the plan, one of a number of options on the table, a European-led force would be dispatched to Ukraine to initially deter Russia from breaching any settlement and to offer Kyiv’s men some much-needed respite.
French military planners have argued that it is highly unlikely Putin would sanction another attack with Western forces inside Ukraine when his troops are only capable of seizing small amounts of territory, The Telegraph understands.
Under the plan, the Franco-British-led “reassurance force” would also offer to help protect Ukraine’s skies and seas.
But the main aim of the deployment would be to immediately start helping to train and rebuild Ukraine’s armed forces to deter another Russian attack. They would later withdraw in stages with final troops to leave around the five year mark, The Telegraph understands.
It would put the UK, France and their Western allies in a race to rebuild and bolster Ukraine’s military before Moscow is once again ready to wage full-scale war.
