British forces ‘could fire on Russian troops’ in Ukraine, ex-NATO chief tells LBC
British troops could be required to fire on Russian forces in Ukraine under plans being discussed by the UK and France, a former senior NATO commander has warned, as Downing Street confirmed British armed forces would be deployed on the ground following any ceasefire.
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Speaking to LBC’s Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, General Sir Richard Shirreff, former Deputy Supreme Commander of NATO in Europe, said peace would not be achieved through negotiation alone.
“There’s not going to be a peace until Russia is forced into it,” he said. “But at least now there is a clear plan from France and the UK to provide a reassurance force or an enforcement force. But it’s got to be the right capability, and it’s got to have the right numbers, the means, and there’s got to be proper capabilities.”
Sir Richard warned that proposals emerging from talks in Paris lacked detail and risked understating the scale of what would be required to hold the line against Moscow.
“This statement yesterday from Paris is pretty light on detail, and these are exactly the sort of things that need to be bottomed out,” he said. “But the bottom line is also that this can’t be a lightly armed ‘blue beret-type peacekeeping force, UN style. It’s got to be prepared to enforce peace.
“And enforcing peace means being prepared to overmatch the Russians, and that means also being prepared to fight them if necessary.”
Asked directly whether that could mean British troops firing on Russian military personnel in Ukraine, Sir Richard replied: “We could.”
Pressed on whether that prospect was alarming, he said it was unavoidable if peace was to last.
“Yeah, it is. But it’s realistic that there’s not going to be a lasting peace until Russia is forced into it and forced to accept Ukraine as a sovereign state and Zelenskyy as president,” he said. “And thus far, we’ve seen no indication at all that Russia is prepared to acquiesce with the discussions that we saw in Paris yesterday.”
The comments come after Number 10 confirmed that British armed forces would be deployed on Ukrainian soil in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said “military hubs” would be established across Ukraine once a peace deal had been reached.
A subsequent statement from Number 10 said the signing of a joint declaration paved the way for a legal framework allowing French and UK forces to operate in Ukraine.
“The signing of the declaration paves the way for the legal framework to be established for French and UK forces to operate on Ukrainian soil, securing Ukraine’s skies and seas and building an armed forces fit for the future,” the statement said.
It added that discussions had gone into greater detail about how the deployment would function on the ground.
“Alongside our plans for a co-ordination cell, post-ceasefire the UK and France will also establish ‘military hubs’ across Ukraine to enable the deployment and build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment to support Ukraine’s defensive needs.”
The force would form part of a so-called “Coalition of the Willing”, with the United States expected to provide security guarantees. Those guarantees are thought likely to include air defence, long viewed as essential to deterring any renewed Russian offensive.
According to a summary released by the Élysée Palace, the US would lead a ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism, with British participation.
Mr Macron described the agreement as the “Paris Declaration”, saying it offered “strong security guarantees” for Ukraine.
Sir Keir said peace would only be possible if Russian President Vladimir Putin was prepared to compromise, adding there was no sign Moscow was currently ready to do so.
“We will keep the pressure up on Russia, including further measures on oil tankers and shadow fleet operators funding Putin’s war chest,” the Prime Minister said.
Sir Richard’s intervention underlined the risks inherent in the plan, particularly if Russian forces test the resolve of any enforcement mission on the ground.
His warning was blunt: a credible peace would require Western forces not just to stand between the two sides, but to be capable and willing to fight if Russia chose to challenge it.