Senior military officers from the "coalition of the willing" are meeting in private in the UK on Thursday to discuss plans for a potential peacekeeping mission for Ukraine.It is believed that almost 20 nations are participating, BBC reported.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is anticipated to attend on Thursday afternoon after first visiting Barrow, where he will lay the keel for one of Britain's new generation of nuclear submarines.
Plans for a Western-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine are thought to be entering the operational phase. Senior military leaders from the "coalition of the willing," led by Britain and France, are expected to debate how this might operate in practice when they meet at the UK's Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood.
According to Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard, they want the coalition to be a "credible force" that would allow Ukraine to "enjoy a lasting peace" and "reconstitute and rearm".
"If Putin wins the Ukrainian conflict, he will not stop. If he subjugates the entire Ukraine, as he has for many years, he would just rearm and look for new ways to extend his power and dominance," he told BBC Breakfast.
"That is not in our interest as a country, certainly not in the interest of our European friends."
Pollard stated that preserving peace in Ukraine may require "some boots on the ground," but the force will also include "a strong component of air and maritime forces."
However, there are still significant difficulties, according to BBC.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Moscow will not tolerate the presence of any NATO troops in Ukraine, regardless of their role.
The United States is also proving unwilling to offer the air cover that potential member’s claim they require.
Sir Keir is set to attend a portion of the meeting after first visiting Barrow to lay the keel for HMS Dreadnought, one of the next generation of nuclear-armed submarines. Sir Keir will visit Barrow and describe it as a "blueprint" for how defense investment can benefit a community.
He is expected to declare that the King has decided to bestow the title of "Royal" to Barrow in recognition of its commitment to national security, BBC added.
Earlier, he met with the crew of HMS Vanguard, one of Britain's nuclear submarines, as it returned to Scotland after patrolling the waters of the north Atlantic.
The prime minister told reporters that the Kremlin respected the United Kingdom's nuclear arsenal because "we have our own independent deterrent and are committed to NATO."
