British MoD rules out combat role in Ukraine, reiterates training focus

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy clarified that the UK is "not considering sending troops into Ukraine at this time," in response to ongoing discussions about Western military support for Kyiv.

His remarks followed a statement by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot urging allies to avoid setting "red lines" in the conflict and a Kremlin warning against "hotheaded" escalation, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

According to French newspaper Le Monde, Britain and France had "revived" discussions on deploying troops to Ukraine after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited France. However, speaking with La Repubblica, Le Monde, and Die Welt during the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Italy, Lammy reiterated the UK’s stance on avoiding direct military involvement.

"We are very clear that we stand ready and continue to support the Ukrainians with training particularly, but there has been a long-standing position that we are not committing UK troops to the theatre of action," Lammy stated. "That is certainly the UK position, and remains the UK position at this time."

Jean-Noël Barrot, France's foreign minister, took a different approach. Speaking to the BBC over the weekend, he said, "We do not discard any option," suggesting that sending French troops to Ukraine remained a possibility if circumstances required it. Barrot's comments echoed earlier statements by French President Emmanuel Macron, who in February refused to rule out deploying French forces. At the time, Macron faced significant criticism from opposition parties and scepticism from NATO allies, including the US, UK, and Germany.

Downing Street on November 24 sought to downplay the Le Monde report. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Starmer told reporters, "[There are] no plans for troops in that manner." When asked if the UK could categorically rule out sending troops to Ukraine, the spokesperson said: "Yes, beyond what I’ve said previously about providing medical training and the military presence we have around the embassy, we don’t have plans for UK troops to be in combat alongside Ukrainian troops." The spokesperson also denied knowledge of any discussions between Starmer and Macron about troop deployments.

The Le Monde report drew criticism from Moscow, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissing the idea as "not in line with reality." Peskov noted that the proposal lacked support among European capitals. "There is no unanimity of opinion among Europeans on this matter but, of course, some hotheads appear," he said, as quoted by The Telegraph.

Despite its reluctance to send combat troops, the UK has been a key supporter of Ukraine’s defence efforts. As of September, the Ministry of Defence reported that over 45,000 Ukrainian soldiers have received training in the UK since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. This commitment underscores Britain's role in bolstering Ukraine's military capabilities while adhering to its long-standing position of keeping troops out of direct combat.

By Tamilla Hasanova