Sir Keir Starmer thrashed out plans for a western peacekeeping force of more than 10,000 troops for Ukraine yesterday at a virtual meeting of the “coalition of the willing”. Two minehunter ships, which were transferred from the Royal Navy to Ukraine’s fleet last year, are also taking part in training exercises, ready to be deployed to the Black Sea in the event of a ceasefire. They have been unable to enter during the war because the Bosphorus Strait has been closed.
Senior government sources said the prime minister has won the backing of “considerably more” than the three countries that originally offered to supply ground troops, though the bulk of the force is likely to come from Britain and France. “Things are quite advanced,” a senior government source said, refusing to provide more specific details of who will contribute what since it could “help Russia”. But the source added: “It will be a significant force with a significant number of countries providing troops and a much larger group contributing in other ways.”
A military source said the size of the final force would be “comfortably north of 10,000”. About 35 countries have agreed to supply weapons, logistical and intelligence support to the mission, which is described as a “tripwire force”. In the event of a ceasefire between Russian and Ukraine, it would deter Vladimir Putin from launching a fresh invasion.
After a conference call of 29 leaders yesterday, Starmer announced that military leaders from around the world will meet in London this week as plans for the multinational peacekeeping force move to an “operational phase”.
On Thursday, John Healey, the defence secretary, will meet military chiefs at the Permanent Joint Headquarters — the British tri-service headquarters in Northwood, northwest London, where all overseas military operations are planned and controlled. A senior official described the speed at which the peacekeeping force was being put together as “unprecedented” and said it was evidence that Anglo-French relations are at their closest since the two countries’ joint military intervention in Libya in 2011, which was designed to stop Colonel Gaddafi’s forces wiping out civilians.
At a press conference in Downing Street, Starmer said the “world needs action now” and “new commitments” had been made on peacekeeping and tightening sanctions on Russia during the call, which included the French president Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. Rejecting Putin’s “yes, but” approach to a proposed ceasefire with Kyiv, the prime minister said the Russian president would have to negotiate “sooner or later”.
Starmer said: “Sooner or later Putin will have to come to the table. So this is the moment. Let the guns fall silent, let the barbaric attacks on Ukraine once and for all stop, and agree to a ceasefire now.” He added: “Now is the time to engage in discussion on a mechanism to manage and monitor a full ceasefire, and agree to serious negotiations towards not just a pause, but a lasting peace, backed by strong security arrangements through our coalition of the willing.”
Asked about what action a peacekeeping force could take, he said this would be a subject of discussion between military chiefs on Thursday. He said: “There are different capabilities from different countries, but those are the operational discussions that are going on in relation to what this coalition of the willing will be able to provide.” Among the other attendees at yesterday’s meeting were Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, who reportedly had been considering not joining the call due to scepticism about Anglo-French peacekeeping proposals. As well as European nations, the leaders of Australia, Canada and New Zealand joined the call, as did the Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte. The meeting followed an intense week of diplomacy in which American officials put a US-Ukraine proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire to Russia.
But the Kremlin has so far resisted the proposal, saying it would only agree to a ceasefire if Ukraine also agreed to abandon its aim of joining Nato and gave up some of its territory to Russia. Speaking from the cabinet room in No 10 yesterday, Starmer told world leaders they could not “sit back and wait” for a ceasefire in Ukraine, adding: “We have to keep pushing ahead, pushing forward and preparing for peace, and a peace that will be secure and that will last.” Earlier in the day, Putin’s first prime minister, Mikhail Kasyanov, who now opposes the Russian president, said his former boss would not accept Nato or European troops being deployed to Ukraine, but might agree to soldiers from “friendly countries” such as India and Brazil.
Comment: I wonder if troops from any of those 29 countries in this coalition of the willing would be acceptable to Moscow. I doubt it. But any peace keeping force is a long way off. I think this whole exercise is more a show of solidarity with Ukraine than arranging a serious peacekeeping force. If it comes together and is deployed, by some miracle and/or act of collective courage, it will serve as a security guarantee to the Ukrainian people. As a matter of practicality, such a force should also keep an eye on Ukrainian long range missiles, drones and SOF to help assuage Russia’s fears. Will anyone do the same to protect Ukraine from Russian long range drones, missiles and SOF? I bet that won’t even be a consideration in the peace talks whenever they come about.
TTG
Yet another example of western “leaders” talking amongst themselves as-if what they say amounts to the final say on things.
Or, put another way: delusional people sitting around and reinforcing their collective delusions.
How about sounding out the Russians first before wasting all that hot air discussing things that are non-starters?
Because that is all this amounts to: discussing the parameters of the “peacekeeping force” they are going to send in once the “ceasefire” commences, and all totally delusional because the Russians will never agree to a ceasefire that leads to military forces drawn from NATO member states being based anywhere inside Ukraine.
The Kremlin simply won’t accept that, so the *real* discussion should be this: do we go to war with Russia, or don’t we?
If the answer is “no” then all these pipsqueeks should just man-up and tell Zelensky that his army is doomed.
Can’t really see any scenario where Russia would find that acceptable. The thinking seems to be Russia is on the ropes and is eager for any way to end the war. Seems totally wishful thinking.
Russia has said no NATO countries in a peacekeeping force.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/not-russia-decide-peacekeepers-ukraine-macron-says-2025-03-16/
Macron should consider that a force is only viewed as peacekeepers if both sides accept it. Else you’re a participant in the war.
Hi Ttg
I recently starting reading a book by Pete hegseth and I was curious if you had read it.Called “Battle for the American mind”.
The word “crusade” pops up now and then and I was wondering what your opinion was.Actually if anyone here has an opinion on it.
mcohen,
I haven’t read this or any book by Hegseth. I just read the intro by the other author, David Goodwin, and found it interesting. I get the feeling that they are arguing for K-12 education becoming far more a place of Christian indoctrination than the secular education that I grew up in. Actually I’m interested in reading what kind of education these two are against. I can understand them railing against more modern ultra-secular DEI education, but I get the feeling they would be equally against education based on “Sermon on the Mount” type lessons. I think they may be equally aghast at my Jesuit prep school education that ran so contrary to the prosperity gospel movement so popular in the US today. But I’d have to read this before I form any solid opinion.
Thank you for your reply.I was surprised to read his opinions on education considering he was elected sec of defence.
But he has a few kids at school so he probably is a concerned parent so that’s understandable.
He writes in his book an example of a North Korean student staring that the left progressives have turned the American school education system into a system worse than North Korea’s.
He mentions Howard zinn as one of the bad guys.So I read up on Zinn and he seems to be in an another league altogether.Also a lot of stuff about cultural Marxism infecting American minds.Eg Saul alinsky and co.
Which brings me to present day politics and the Russia /Ukraine war.Bit of a contradiction going on it seems as it was the Democrats that were keen to keep fighting.
mcohen,
Howard Zinn is easy to see as one of the bad guys. His “A People’s History of the United States” sees the history of the US through a Marxist/socialist lens. Our founding fathers are no more than a bunch of exploitative, slave owning white men. In my opinion, and that of many others, Zinn’s book is really bad history, more an opinion piece than history.
I agree with Hegseth and Goodwin that Zinn’s view of US history should not be the basis for teaching our youth, but there are elements of our history highlighted by Zinn that should be included in the education system without the heavily Marxist point of view.
I agree.It seems that it was just his opinion and only portrayed one side .Trade unions play an important role in protecting the workers so that is a good thing.Zinn himself was an apprentice in the shipyards so he obviously drew on his own experiences.As to Hegseth time will tell.Turning students against their country will have a negative impact on those willing to join the armed forces.Especially in public schools.
The fact is new immigrants will most likely be heading to public schools so the message given to these kids needs to be looked at carefully.
Whether this is a deliberate campaign to weaken the USA remains to be seen.
Looks like a new strategy is in place to free up American resources in Europe and concentrate them in the middle east.Probably entering a dangerous escalation in hostilities.
So tell us TTG, how is the prosperity gospel so prevalent today different from your Jesuits’ Sermon on the Mount type lessons?
drifter,
In short, prosperity gospel focuses on the welfare of the self while the Jesuits’ Sermon on the Mount type lessons focuses on the welfare of others. It’s not just the Jesuits. It’s really the message of the Catholic Church. “Whatsoever you do for the least of my brethren, you do unto me.”
The prosperity gospel is a theological movement that emphasizes the belief that God blesses those with strong faith with health, wealth, and success, often portraying poverty and sickness as a result of a lack of faith. Preachers of the prosperity gospel include Oral Roberts, Jim and Tammy Fae Baker, Joel Osteen. Some of their core beliefs include: faith as a path to prosperity, God’s will for prosperity for believers and, conversely, seeing poverty and sickness as curses on those that lack faith.
It call also been called a “name it and claim it” theology. This phrase suggests that believers can manifest desired outcomes, including wealth and health, by declaring them through faith and positive affirmations. Some say “it’s possible to trace the origins of the American prosperity gospel to the tradition of New Thought, a nineteenth-century spiritual movement popular with decidedly unorthodox thinkers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and William James. Practitioners of New Thought, not all of whom identified as Christian, generally held the divinity of the individual human being and the priority of mind over matter. In other words, if you could correctly channel your mental energy, you could harness its material results.“ I always thought it harkened back to our early Pilgrim settlers’ belief in predestination. God already decided who’s going to heaven and who’s not. Wealth and prosperity were seen as outward signs that one was among the chosen so those early Americans busted their butts to be richer than their neighbor. I may be totally off base with this, but that’s why I alway thought our early Pilgrim and Puritan settlers were a bunch of insufferable asses.
The “Sermon on the Mount” is described in the books of Matthew and Luke. The core of the message is contained in the beatitudes:
The Jesuits most recently summarized these lessons in a 1973 address by Pedro Arrupe when he called for his fellow Jesuits to be men for others and teach the students in their charge to also be men for others.
I wrote about this a few years ago in a piece called “Confessions of a latent SJW.” I think the title alone encapsulates this Jesuit message.
https://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2019/07/confessions-of-a-latent-sjw-ttg.html
For those interested in drone warfare,
this may be of interest:
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2025/03/the-u-s-army-isnt-ready-for-what-is-coming/
“The U.S. Army Has Been Watching a Series [Serious?] Change in Warfare Unfold –
The Ukraine conflict has showcased Russia’s heavy reliance on drones,
using them for reconnaissance, artillery spotting, direct attacks, and electronic warfare.
-Commercially modified drones, advanced domestic systems like the Lancet-3 and Orlan-10, and imported Iranian Shahed-136 drones have reshaped the battlefield,
increasing precision and psychological pressure.
Despite U.S. advancements in drone technology and counter-drone systems,
Russia’s effectiveness in Ukraine reveals significant gaps in U.S. preparedness.”
How is Ukraine countering the Russian glide bombs?
This takes a look:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2025/03/17/ukraine-has-been-jamming-russian-glide-bombs-now-we-know-how/
Sounds quite sophisticated.
My question regarding such statements is
“Ukraine is evidently doing surprisingly well in its conflict with Russia.
So why, before the conflict escalated in 2024, was Ukraine the poorest country in Europe
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/poorest-countries-in-europe
(and evidently mired in corruption),
and constantly begging America for aid (remember Biden’s billion dollar loan guarantees).”
Something doesn’t compute.
Keith Harbaugh,
Ukraine has become the premier country in both drones and EW with Russia close behind. It appears China realizes this and is turning to Ukraine to improve their own military drone sector. That is a major part of recent Sino-Ukrainian military and economic coordination. I found this account from a Russian blogger recently.
Why is Ukraine the poorest country in Europe? For one thing, they’ve been at war with Russia for the last decade. Before that they were flat on their asses primarily due to corruption. They were easily the most corrupt country to emerge from the break up of the USSR in Europe, worse than Russia in my opinion. At least in Russia, Putin emerged and came to an accommodation with the oligarchs and were able to get a handle on the most overt corruption. Not so in Ukraine. The oligarchs sold off much of Ukraine’s resources, including most of her military equipment. The Orange Revolution and the later Maidan Revolution were largely popular responses to the rampant corruption. Poroshenko began to make some headway against corruption and Zelenskiy continues the struggle even during the war, even though his rise was primarily due to the sponsorship of an oligarch. Reforming the courts is the most important struggle and that struggle is not yet complete.
a> they got sick of everything they’ve put up w/ for (at least) 150 yrs, & in response became self-determined to make the final break w/ Russia.
b> circumstances dictate.
Nobody is winning a war with drones. It’s a tool. A very effective tool but like all wars, bodies are still needed to hold the ground. Ukraine does not have the bodies and nobody is going to supply them. The Pentagon knew this from day one.
At some point Ukraine was going to run out of bodies. The conflict is over without more bodies. It will continue until NATO supplies the bodies. Money and weapons won’t cut it. Supply bodies or do not. As a retired combat officer who has actually fought in wars I appreciate the fight of Ukrainians. I truly do but the game is over. They lasted a lot longer than I thought. I will give them that much but anyone thinking they were going to push Russia out knows nothing about how war works. Weapons and money don’t win wars.
Coalition of the willing. The solution we’ve all been waiting for. When it comes down to it, who needs the Americans?
Saw clips of Starmer at command HQ rallying the Europoodles. Impressive. Am beginning to get the hang of our strategy and believe total annihilation of the enemy is within sight.
They won’t know what’s hit ’em! Any more of the Starmer/Macron double act and the entire Russian army, from Gerasimov down, will die laughing.
If you look at European history over the centuries, EU is an extraordinary success. Due to changing geopolitical actions, it will now need a credible military component. It may take some time and considerable debate, but I am sure it will eventually come to fruition.
At least they are trying to build something, while the US is trying to erase. It will be interesting to see what will happen when the American Legion discovers what the Trump Administration is doing to veterans and even those actively serving.
Lars,
The EU is a colossal failure that is bankrupting and deindustrializing Europe.
What oh so troubling thing is Trump doing to veterans today? Besides not forcing the jab, funding tranny surgery, and firing a bunch of layabouts?
Fred, “a bunch of layabouts”? I know ex-military VA staff you might not want to meet. They would lay you about, if you said such to them.
Careless, unwise words!
I semi-regularly do 40+ mi bike rides w/ a group of 20, half of whom are veterans, NG & civil service types (45-75 yrs old, active & ret). of that sub-grp, one took the early retirement option. {he was going to retire this yr anyway… now he gets paid & still doesn’t even have to go to the office – gets paid through end of the FY. congrats, DOGE!} these guys are active, experienced, work-their-asses-off folk. politically, they’re mostly “pox on both parties”. it is a VERY red state.
so far, they think Musk is a rich prick who should’ve stuck to launching sats. {they laugh at the Cybertruck on all counts… & they DO know their trucks}
for all their complaints about work (primarily how bloated LSIs & subs make a fortune on contracts & are untouchable ’cause of their political connections), they understand gov is a not a profit-making enterprise & all the bs about “making gov like the private sector” is just that. just pick your flavor & get the job done. all seem to take actual pride in a job well-done… particularly in NatSec R&D, weapons dev-production & active mission support. the retired ones liked having a SocSec staff they could reach by phone when needed.
they’re surprised Nasty is running the circus so weirdly, picking stupid fights w/ friendlies, not focusing on what THEY wanted (positive economy, inflation control (esp food), & watching China closely).
@ the rate things are going, Prez Krasnov will create a highly reactive centrist movement that shares little more than being fed up with him. they may be old & white, but they are cranky – I predict they’ll get crankier.
ked,
How often do those retired people need to call a social security office?
“NatSec R&D, weapons dev-production & active mission support”
Was that the electromagnetic catapult system on the USS Ford that still doesn’t work? Maybe the LCS ships that are getting mothballed because they don’t work? The NatSec R&D that spied on Trump’s campaign, couldn’t foresee the Russian intervention in Syria or the latest disintegration via putting HTS in charge? Maybe the invasion of Ukraine? The movements of the Chinese fishing fleets that are destroying the fishing grounds of multiple allies?
Al,
You only know the virtuous VA employees who would engage in felony violence over a comment on a blog post.
I don’t know about your neighborhood, Fred, but there are plenty of folks driving Mercedes, BMW and Volvo cars in mine.
I have a good friend who crash landed a plane that he has built due to engine failure that ended up breaking his back. VA is helping him a lot and he would not survive long if that care is diminished. Other than that, your characterization of veterans healthcare is astonishingly ignorant.
Lars,
“… the American Legion discovers what the Trump Administration is doing to veterans…”
which means providing health care to people who crash home built aircraft.
There are plenty of used European automobiles being driven around here. BMW has an assembly plant in SC and VW one in TN. Neither are in the EU and neither face the energy costs, VAT, and European regulatory environment. You live a sheltered life.
My friend was a fighter pilot and is entitled to VA care. He also flew for Delta until retirement and VA provides better care than he otherwise would have. Other than that, I suspect that I know more about EU than you, from the evidence that you provide.
Lars,
Former Delta pilot goes to VA for car after crashing home built aircraft.
I’m sure you know about Europe. That’s why you won’t go back to live there.
Doesn’t Trump realize that making Canada the 51st state would destroy any chance of the US ever electing another Republican president. It would be the biggest blue state with the most electoral votes and most representatives. We’d get universal healthcare. The Democrats should back him on this.