Deploying British troops to Ukraine could be like a “declaration of war against Russia” and cause a “nuclear exchange”, an expert has told the Daily Express.
French newspaper Le Monde claimed that talks between the UK and France over sending soldiers to Ukraine have been reignited and that the move is not being ruled out.
A British military source said: “Discussions are under way between the UK and France regarding defence cooperation, particularly with the aim of creating a core of allies in Europe, focused on Ukraine and broader European security.”
Security and defence expert Nicholas Drummond told the Daily Express such a plan would be disastrous and could lead to an all-out war.
He added that the British Army is not even ready for conflict with Russia and warned that Vladimir Putin‘s “dangerous” mindset could result in “disastrous” consequences.
Mr Drummond said: “I view this as a very unlikely and unadvisable strategy. To send British and French troops to Ukraine would be a declaration of war against Russia and a blatant act of escalation.
“It would likely lead to Russia attacking the UK and France directly outside Ukraine, including acts of terror, sabotage, and open acts of war. It would force us to respond in kind, leading to a wider conflict and possibly to a nuclear exchange.
“But there is another issue here. Even if we decided that sending troops was vital, the British Army is not ready for war.
“It can probably provide two ready-to-go brigades (4th Light Mechanised Infantry Brigade and 16th Air Assault Brigade). But our primary warfighting formations (12th and 20th Armoured Brigades) are currently being upgraded, so they are not deployable. At the moment, the Army has just 14 Archer artillery systems.”
“For sure, Putin is dangerous and unpredictable, especially as a lack of progress backs him into a corner militarily and economically. But taking him on directly would be difficult, costly and potentially disastrous.
“The best thing we can do now is to maximise the resources we give to Ukraine while preparing for a major European conflict precisely to avoid a major European conflict.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy denied the claims in the Le Monde report on Tuesday, saying British troops will not be sent “at this time”.
He said: “We are very clear that we stand ready and continue to support the Ukrainians with training particularly, but there has been a long-standing position that we are not committing UK troops to the theater of action.
“That is certainly the UK position, and remains the UK position at this time.”
France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot told the BBC last week: “We do not discard any option.”