Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the United Kingdom and its European allies should immediately deploy noncombat troops to Ukraine to demonstrate Western commitment to the nation’s independence, departing from prevailing strategy that ties any ground deployment to a ceasefire agreement.
The proposal would represent a major shift in military strategy ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, challenging the current consensus that any Western troop deployment would only arrive after fighting ends.
Johnson Proposes Earlier Deployment as Part of Broader Western Strategy
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the BBC that noncombat troops should be deployed to peaceful regions of Ukraine in non-fighting roles, breaking with the strategy currently pursued by the “coalition of the willing,” which plans any deployment only after a ceasefire agreement takes effect.
Johnson questioned the logic of postponing deployment until a ceasefire is reached. “There is no logical reason that I can see why we shouldn’t send peaceful ground forces there to show our support, our constitutional support for a free, independent Ukraine,” he said in excerpts released ahead of a Sunday broadcast interview.
The former prime minister’s proposal departs from assumptions that have guided Western military planning since Russia’s 2022 invasion. “If we are willing to do it in the context of a ceasefire, which of course puts all the initiative, all the power, in Putin’s hands, why not do it now?” Johnson said.
Western Military Planners Have Avoided Public Discussion
Western military planners have declined to discuss potential noncombat deployment publicly, concerned that doing so would be interpreted by Russia as a military escalation. Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected Western proposals for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine in September, saying that any troops deployed to the country would be “legitimate targets.”
Johnson countered that Russia should not be allowed to determine Ukraine’s choices. “It’s about whether Ukraine is a free country or not,” he said. “If it’s a vassal state of Russia, which is what Putin wants, then obviously it’s up to Putin to decide who comes to his country. If it’s not, then it’s up to the Ukrainians.”
UK Confirms Post-Ceasefire Planning Continues
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said the government remains committed to post-conflict planning. “The multinational force Ukraine under UK leadership will secure peace for the long term, with the Prime Minister being clear that we will put British troops on the ground following the end of hostilities,” the ministry said in a statement.
Johnson, a strong supporter of Ukraine during his time as prime minister, attributed the urgency of his proposal to a pattern of Western failure to respond decisively to aggression. He said Putin was emboldened by the West’s failure to punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for using chemical weapons against his own people. “I think Putin was emboldened by a Western failure in Syria to punish Assad for using chemical weapons,” Johnson said.
The former prime minister said Putin was further emboldened by the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. “I think Putin was further emboldened in February 2022 by what he’d seen in Afghanistan, and a sort of general sense that the West was on the back foot. He’d seen those appalling pictures of Americans being forced to flee Afghanistan and the UK pulling out as well, and that really did embolden him.”