Russia tells UK not to send troops to Ukraine in dire warning for NATO

Putin will not accept Nato troops as peacekeepers in Ukraine (Image: Getty)

Russia has warned the UK it will view the deployment of British and European troops in Ukraine as a declaration of war against Moscow. The dire warning comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity by European leaders as they scramble to increase military aid to Ukraine and boost general defence spending.

The British Prime Minister has been at the forefront of international discussions on how to provide security guarantees to Kyiv in the event of a ceasefire with Russia. In February, Sir Keir Starmer said he was "ready and willing" to deploy British forces to help police any cessation in hostilities. Then on Monday the Labour leader unveiled a four-point plan for peace to parliament, which included forming a "coalition of the willing".

Keir Starmer with Volodymyr Zelensky (Image: Getty)

This could see troops from the UK and other European countries sent to Ukraine as peacekeepers should a deal be struck.

However, Russia says it would view any deployment of troops from NATO member states as an escalation of hostilities.

In response to a question from the BBC's Steve Rosenberg about whether Moscow still opposes the idea of European peacekeepers in Ukraine, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said: "We see no room for compromise.

"This would mean no longer hybrid involvement, but the direct, official, unconcealed participation of Nato countries in war against Russia."

Earlier, a Putin crony warned the UK Prime Minister that Russia would welcome the opportunity to kill British soldiers.

Dmitry Rogozin, a former leader of the nationalist Rodina party, said: "It has been a long time since we fertilised the Crimean vineyards with [the corpses of] British officers.

"We are waiting, Starmer. The time has come."

British troops last fought in Crimea in 1854, as Great Britain joined forces with France and the Ottoman Empire in a war against Nicholas I's Russia.

Russia suffered a humiliating defeat and was forced to sign the Treaty of Paris, putting an end to its expansionist ambitions in the region.

On Thursday, EU leaders held emergency talks in Brussels, where they are expected to agree an €800bn (£670bn) plan to boost spending on defence.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission called the plan “a watershed moment for Europe” and also for Ukraine.