Britain might not even be close to putting boots on the ground, but proposals by Keir Starmer to send UK troops to Ukraine have already been rejected by the Kremlin. Put forward by the Prime Minister as part of a plan to send a 30,000-strong European peace-keeping force to the country in the event of a ceasefire with Russia, this idea is ‘unacceptable’, the Kremlin has said. Reacting to plans reportedly being prepared by Prime Minister Keir Starmer with leaders on the continent (some of whom have already refused to involve their countries in), Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said such a proposal was ‘a matter of concern’ as it would amount to the deployment of Nato troops on Ukrainian soil.
Peskov’s remarks come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to meet US special envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv today. Speaking to reporters yesterday, Kellogg said he would aim to ‘sit and listen’ to Ukraine’s needs, including the country’s desire for permanent security guarantees from the US if a peace deal with Russia is struck. Zelensky said he hoped the meeting would be ‘constructive’.
In Russia, there is already chatter that Trump’s positioning might result sanctions being lifted
Zelensky and Kellogg’s meeting will take place against the background of rapidly deteriorating relations between the US and Ukraine. Triggered by US President Donald Trump’s decision earlier this week to send a delegation to meet with Russia in Saudi Arabia and discuss an end to the war – without Ukraine present – the Ukrainian and American presidents have since been engaged in an increasingly vitriolic war of words.
Last night, after Zelensky denounced Trump as living in a ‘disinformation space’ created by Russia, the American president turned on his Ukrainian counterpart. On his Truth Social platform, Trump branded Zelensky a ‘dictator’, goading him to ‘move faster’ or he won’t ‘have a country left’. Speaking to the BBC from Air Force One in the early hours of this morning, Trump added that Russia ‘has the cards’ in any peace talks to end the war on account of the amount of Ukrainian land they have grabbed.
The source of Trump’s shocking claim that Zelensky is an illegitimate ruler – pushed frequently by Moscow – lies in the fact that, on account of the war with Russia and the instatement of martial law, the Ukrainian president’s mandate expired last year. Only once martial law is lifted will the country be able to hold fresh elections. The fact that Putin has occupied the Kremlin for over 25 years, holding elections that at best can be described as unfair and undemocratic, seems to have barely occurred to Trump during his rant.
In the hours after Trump’s diatribe, Starmer called Zelensky in order to reassure him that he had Britain’s support and was indeed considered a legitimate leader. The Prime Minister plans to travel to Washington next week; according to reports he will present his peace-keeping proposal to Trump then. Starmer may yet have a fresh headache to deal with as reports emerge that, as members of the G7 look to draft a statement ahead of the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion on Monday, America is resisting labelling Moscow the ‘aggressor’.
Moscow is watching the deepening rift between Washington and Kyiv with glee and clearly senses an opportunity to move the goal posts in its favour ahead of any coming talks. The Kremlin knows exactly what it is doing: Peskov also passed comment on Trump’s attack on Zelensky, saying the Kremlin ‘absolutely agreed’ with him. Such flattery is likely to further massage Trump’s ego as he positions himself as the only person capable of ending the war.
In Russia, there is already chatter that Trump’s positioning might result in the lifting of sanctions against the country – and even the return of foreign brands who pulled out of the country in 2022. This has prompted the chairman of Russia’s central bank Elvira Naibulina to warn that it is ‘premature’ to discuss what the financial impact on Russia may be.
What is clear is that the Kremlin is delighted by Trump’s sulphurous attacks on Zelensky – and the US president’s seeming willingness to throw Ukraine under the bus.
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