Keir Starmer’s Ukraine troops plan would amount to ‘direct war’, Russia warns as No10 refuses to rule out ‘sky shield’ defence

The Prime Minister’s plan to use British troops to build a peacekeeping force in Ukraine would amount to “direct involvement in the war”, a Russian minister has warned.

Partnering with French President Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir Starmer has pushed for a new initiative which could see soldiers placed on Ukrainian soil if a peacekeeping deal were to be reached to deter Vladimir Putin from future attacks.

Additionally, Downing Street has refused to dismiss a “sky-shield” plan to stop Moscow from conducting missile attacks on the sovereign state.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov declared that soldiers along the Ukrainian-Russian border would amount to the “direct, official and unveiled involvement of Nato members in the war against Russia”.

He said: “It can’t be allowed.”

The UK has now signed an agreement with an Anglo-American security firm to send advanced attack drones to Ukraine while Donald Trump has frozen supplies to the war-torn country.

Earlier this week, the US President paused US military aid and intelligence-sharing following the disastrous White House bust-up between Volodymyr Zelensky and the Republican President last Friday.

“The fighting is going on and it’s a big mistake to think that all we’ve got to do is wait for a deal now,” Starmer said.

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“We’ve got to make sure that if they are fighting on they’re in the strongest position and even if they go into negotiation that they’re in the strongest position,” he added, speaking after a UK-Ireland summit.

It is believed that there was another meeting of the “coalition of the willing” European peacekeepers which included around 20 nations.

Starmer added that he refused to choose between the US and Europe as fears swiftly surge surrounding American support for Ukraine.

Kyiv and Washington DC must be on the “same page”, he said.