Starmer: Necessary to expand AFU capabilities, strengthen them, peacekeeping mandate will depend on capabilities and needs

17:02, 10.05.2025 1 min read

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer notes the indisputable need to further strengthen the Ukrainian army, and regarding the possibility of deploying peacekeeping contingents from other countries on the territory of Ukraine, he notes that this will depend on the needs that will be relevant after the ceasefire.

He said the military planning consisted of four aspects. The first is the build-up of Ukrainian capabilities, of the Ukrainian army. Next: Ukraine has a very large army that has been built up over the last three years. We need to expand its capabilities and strengthen them further. But also in terms of contingents at sea, in the air and on land, of course there is some variability here because we are not yet in a ceasefire, he added. So we are also thinking about what the mandate will be - it depends on the capabilities that will be needed, Starmer said at a joint press conference of the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing in Kyiv on Saturday.