The UK will not be sending troops to Ukraine, the foreign secretary has said.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy told La Repubblica on Tuesday, “There has been a long-standing position that we are not committing UK troops to the theatre of action.”
Lammy emphasised that it is “certainly the UK position and remains the UK position at this time.”
When pressed on whether that means the UK will not send contractors or other kinds of combat fighters, the minister responded: “We are not committing UK troops on the ground to Ukraine. But we continue to support Ukraine with training and military assistance, and we have been absolutely clear that we will continue to do that for as long as is required and needed.”
The remarks came after Le Monde cited unnamed sources who said that Paris and London are “not ruling out” sending French and British troops and private defence contractors to Ukraine.
The prime minister’s official spokesman also said that there were “no plans” to send troops to Ukraine.
The spokesman added that the UK’s support for Ukraine is “unwavering, and we obviously want to put Ukraine in the best possible position as winter approaches, but we’re not considering putting UK troops in combat alongside Ukrainian troops.”
Support for Ukraine
Lammy also told La Repubblica that the UK was “determined” to put Ukraine in a strong position to continue fighting through the winter and through 2025.
“I am confident that Ukraine will find itself in a position where it can sustain this fight through 2025 as long as we’re able to ensure that all of the G7 ERA [Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration] loan and seizure of assets money is into their coffers over this next period,” the minister said, in relation to a combined loan from the global partners worth $50 billion (£39.72 billion) derived from frozen Russian sovereign assets.
The UK’s contribution to the G7 loan amounts to £2.26 billion and is on top of the government’s existing £3 billion a year commitment in military aid, as well as the £12.8 billion the UK has already committed in military, economic, and humanitarian support.
Last week, Lammy and France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot said that their countries will “do everything that is necessary” to support Ukraine.
Tensions Increasing
Tensions have escalated in the past week amid reports that Ukraine had fired American and British made long-range missiles into Russia, an action which President Vladimir Putin has said would be perceived as the West engaging in a war with Russia.
Just two months before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House, President Joe Biden reportedly authorised Ukraine to use Army Tactical Missile Systems against Russia.
Downing Street and Defence Minister John Healey have repeatedly declined to confirm if the UK has authorised Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles, after reports they were fired into Russia.
When the use of Storm Shadow missiles was raised, Lammy likewise would not be drawn on commenting, telling the Italian daily, “I’m not going to comment on specific military equipment because I’m not going to do anything to assist Putin operationally or tactically.”
Ukrainian soldiers take part in urban training at a military training camp in Yorkshire, England, on Feb. 16, 2023. PA Wire/PA Images
Last Thursday, Putin said Russia had tested a new intermediate-range ballistic missile, firing it at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, with the Russian president saying that the test was in response to Ukrainian strikes with British and U.S. missiles.
Putin said that he was entitled to target military facilities of countries that has supplied weapons to Ukraine, saying that the war was becoming a “global” conflict.
Briton Reportedly Captured
Speaking to media in Italy on Monday, Lammy also separately addressed reports that a British man, who identified himself as 22-year-old James Scott Rhys Anderson, had been captured by Russian forces while volunteering to fight for Ukraine.
Lammy told reporters, “I have been updated about that development in the last couple of days and of course we will do all we can to offer this UK national all the support we can.”
Video had been circulating online over the weekend of a young man who said he was a former British Army soldier and had joined Ukraine’s International Legion after losing his job.
The Foreign Office has also said it was “supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention.”
PA Media contributed to this report.
Victoria Friedman
Author
Victoria Friedman is a UK-based reporter covering a wide range of national stories.
