In an interview with The Telegraph's Ukraine: The Latest podcast on Nov. 28, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that any possible ceasefire should involve a European peacekeeping mission including British forces to defend the front line.
"I don’t think we should be sending in combat troops to take on the Russians," Johnson said. "But I think as part of the solution, as part of the end state, you’re going to want to have multinational European peace-keeping forces monitoring the border, helping the Ukrainians."
Following Donald Trump's 2024 election victory, world leaders are preparing for an abrupt shift in the United States' policy on Ukraine. Much is unknown about Trump's plans for Ukraine. Trump has promised to end the war in "24 hours" and has called for peace talks, prompting many world leaders to discuss potential outcomes.
The Telegraph reported on Nov. 7, citing three Trump staffers, that Trump may call on British and European troops to enforce a buffer zone that he would try to impose over the current front line in Ukraine as part of a possible peace plan.
Johnson, a supporter of Trump, said during his interview that he "cannot see that such a European operation could possibly happen without the British," said.
"We need to be spelling out what kind of security guarantees we think are appropriate," Johnson added.
Johnson's comments on the potential presence of combat troops in Ukraine came after the French outlet Le Monde reported that the U.K. and France have been discussing deploying soldiers or private defense contractors in Ukraine following President-elect Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. election.
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy later said on Nov. 26 that London is not planning to deploy its military personnel on the ground in Ukraine.
During the interview, the former prime minister said the United Kingdom is "morally responsible" for Ukraine as a signatory of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. The agreement obliged Ukraine to give up its nuclear weapons and demilitarize, a move that has failed to protect Ukraine from Russian aggression.
"The only thing that really works is a Nato Article 5 guarantee that has kept the peace in Europe for 80 years," Johnson said. "It’s the reason the Baltic states are in NATO. It’s the reason that the Poles, Hungarians, Czechs, Finns and the Swedes are now in NATO."
A staunch supporter of Ukraine, Johnson previously said that extending NATO membership to Ukraine is the only solution, and it has to be done, as the only long-term solution that provides peace and stability.
Despite Ukraine's ongoing challenges in securing an invitation from a NATO country to join the military alliance, Johnson said that Western allies would need to make clear what potential security guarantees would be offered to Kyiv as part of any peace agreement.
As the war drags on past 1,000 days, Johnson's comment on peace negotiations reflect those made by Ukrainian officials over the past year. Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksandr Lytvynenko said in May that Ukraine "clearly understands" that Russia's full-scale war will end with negotiations.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has more recently said that the country must do everything possible to end the war through diplomatic means in 2025, adding that a war would "end faster" under a Trump administration.
Olena Goncharova
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