Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the U.K. and European allies to immediately deploy noncombat troops to Ukraine, arguing this would demonstrate unwavering support and prevent ceding initiative to Vladimir Putin ahead of any ceasefire. Johnson, a staunch early backer of Kyiv, said there is ‘no logical reason’ to delay a peaceful deployment to secure regions.

This directly challenges the current ‘coalition of the willing’ strategy, which plans a post-ceasefire peacekeeping force. Britain’s Ministry of Defense confirmed it is preparing for such a deployment after hostilities end, a stance Johnson calls weak. He contends sending troops now would solidify Ukraine’s sovereignty rather than treat it as a Russian ‘vassal state.’

Johnson attributes the full-scale invasion to a pattern of Western retreat, citing failures to punish Bashar al-Assad’s chemical attacks and the Afghanistan withdrawal. He argues these signals of indecision emboldened Putin. His proposal represents a significant hawkish divergence from the cautious, post-conflict deployment being readied by London and its partners.