Europe is growing more hawkish in its rhetoric, seeing the need for a counterbalance against Trump efforts to secure lasting peace in Ukraine, which recently included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announcing that the US does not see future NATO membership for Ukraine as a realistic possibility.

The latest shot across the bow is British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announcing that the UK is "ready and willing" to put British peacekeeping troops on the ground in Ukraine, and stressing it's essential that the West backs Kyiv toward "securing a lasting peace in Ukraine that safeguards its sovereignty for the long term" which essential" to deter Putin from "further aggression." There is as yet no framework for negotiated peace in place, and yet Starmer is talking boots on the ground.

This was laid out in an op-ed the Telegraph newspaper published Sunday night. He sounded a similar note to other European leaders who have warned that Trump's peace plan could cede all the immense sacrifices made defending Ukraine thus far.

"We must be clear that peace cannot come at any cost," Starmer said. "Ukraine must be at the table in these negotiations, because anything less would accept Putin’s position that Ukraine is not a real nation." He stressed: "The end of this war, when it comes, cannot merely become a temporary pause before Putin attacks again."

This echoes current concerns out of Europe that Zelensky and the Ukrainians and European allies are being cut out of negotiations between Putin and Trump. For example, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb told reporters in Munich this weekend, "There’s no way in which we can have discussions or negotiations about Ukraine, Ukraine’s future or European security structure, without Europeans."

"But this means that Europe needs to get its act together. Europe needs to talk less and do more." he added. Macron, as well as German leadership have said similar things. But as Politico reports, there's yet been little to indicate that Ukraine is directly involved in talk preparations: 

The Trump administration has since sent mixed messages about Ukraine's role in the peace talks. Over the weekend, POLITICO reported that senior Trump administration officials were heading to Saudi Arabia to begin negotiations with Russians and Ukrainians — surprising Kyiv.

Starmer further wrote in his his op-ed: "While European nations must step up in this moment — and we will — U.S. support will remain critical and a U.S. security guarantee is essential for a lasting peace, because only the U.S. can deter Putin from attacking again."

And he announced, "So I will be meeting President Trump in the coming days and working with him and all our G7 partners to help secure the strong deal we need."

He acknowledged that more needs to be spent on defense, consistent with Trump admin pleas, and said he'd be telling colleagues at an emergency France-hosted summit of European leaders on Monday that "we have got to show we are truly serious about our own defence and bearing our own burden. We have talked about it for too long — and President Trump is right to demand that we get on with it."

Trump might welcome Europeans' willingness to send peacekeeping forces in the wake of a potential agreement with Moscow, given he has stressed that no US troops will ever be sent, and that it is Europe's responsibility to shoulder the burden of its own security.

Meanwhile, one X user sounded off in response to the latest media headlines, saying, "People are angrier at Donald Trump for attempting to stop the war in Ukraine than at Keir Starmer for wanting to send British troops there to die. These people need a mental asylum."

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