UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged Donald Trump to provide a US “backstop” to a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine, saying it is the only way to deter Russia from attacking the country again. The appeal came after an emergency summit in Paris that heard widespread calls for a large boost in defense spending. European leaders agreed on increasing defense spending, but Scholz said a discussion on a European force was “completely premature”. Starmer insisted that the US is not poised to leave NATO, but the issue of burden-sharing has become pressing. UK defense officials say that even a 30,000-strong European force needs US protection. The US has refused to commit to providing any help to a putative European force.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/17/starmer-urges-trump-to-provide-backstop-to-european-peacekeeping-force-in-ukraine