By John Healey MP
More than a million casualties, 250,000 dead or missing and interest rates at 15 per cent.
Four years after he launched his attempt to wipe a sovereign nation off the map, these are the realities of Russia’s failure that Putin must confront.
They are the realities that Putin has inflicted on his own people. Russian fathers, brothers and sons were sent into the meat grinder never to return; his own people picking up the bill for a war they never wanted.
Putin thought he would win in a week.
Now, he turns to lies and trickery, turning to foreign fighters for his war machine. Some 17,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to battle – recruits from Cuba, from Nigeria and Senegal too.
This is a desperate Putin and a weak Russia.
While Ukrainian forces are seeing renewed success, recently retaking territory, hitting targets deep into Russia and inflicting huge blows – 25 Russian casualties for every one Ukrainian on parts of the front line – they remain under pressure.
Putin is trying to break Ukrainian spirits from the skies, while ramping up military production at home.
A barrage of drones and missiles fall on Ukraine night after night. A ballistic missile struck Lviv on Jan 9, as I was just 15 minutes away, the same night that Putin unleashed 90 Shahed drones on Kyiv. It is a stark reminder of what the Ukrainian people have endured for the last 1,459 nights.
When I was in Ukraine last month, 90 Shahed drones were fired at Kyiv – 21 targeting residential buildings – and a ballistic missile hit Lviv.
Together, we stand with those Ukrainians fighting on the front line, the countless families mourning loved ones and the millions displaced waiting for the opportunity to return home.
From day one, in opposition we backed the Conservatives on Ukraine, and since we’ve been in government they’ve done the same for us.
I am proud that the UK is united for Ukraine. I am proud of the highest-ever level of military support we’re providing this year. And I am proud of all those in this country who have opened their doors to 167,000 Ukrainians.
We know nothing is off limits for Putin. His attacks kill Ukrainian children in their beds, destroy hospitals and plunge entire cities into freezing darkness.
But four years on, Ukrainians continue to fight with that same huge courage they showed on Feb 24 2022 – military and civilians alike. And 2026 must be the year this terrible war ends.
We are putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position to achieve a just and lasting peace on their terms.
Ukrainians have shown they do not fear Russian aggression. The only thing Ukraine fears is Western fatigue. But as president Zelensky knows, Ukraine’s friends will never tire.
Earlier this month I convened and chaired the 33rd meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Nato HQ alongside Boris Pistorius. More than $35bn (£26bn) was committed by the 50 nations who attended – every dollar, every missile and each piece of air defence sending a clear message to Moscow of defiance and unity.
At the same time as we keep Ukraine in the fight today, our planning to secure the peace we hope to see tomorrow is advanced, real and backed by £200m from this Government.
Last month in Paris, the Prime Minister signed a landmark declaration with president Zelensky and president Macron of our intent to deploy British troops to Ukraine once peace is secured. As part of this multinational force for Ukraine, we already have a 70-person HQ up and running. With France and other allies, we will be ready to secure the peace.
There is no heavier burden on any Defence Secretary or any government than committing our Armed Forces on operations. The tragic loss of L/Cpl George Hooley of the Parachute Regiment is a reminder of the risks that our Armed Forces take in our name.
I want to be the Defence Secretary who deploys British troops to Ukraine – because this will mean that this war is finally over. It will mean we have negotiated peace in Ukraine. And a secure Europe needs a strong, sovereign Ukraine.
We already see Ukraine strengthening European security: Ukrainian armed forces have been embedded in Nato exercises. Their counter-drone experts have advised European nations. And together this year the UK and Ukraine have begun the joint, large-scale production of “Octopus” – a Ukrainian-designed, AI-enabled interceptor drone that can take down Shaheeds at a fraction of the cost.
So, as we enter the fifth year of this conflict, the Government’s position is clear: we are more united and more determined than ever to support Ukraine. We are stepping up military aid, and we will step up pressure on Putin further – both through fresh sanctions and new action on the Russian shadow fleet.
My last word must be for Ukraine. This war has shown us – and Putin – one important thing: never underestimate the will of the Ukrainian people. I pay tribute to the people of Ukraine. I am proud of our UK leadership. I am determined that we will make 2026 the year this war ends.
Slava Ukraini.
………………..
Healey: I want to send British troops to Ukraine
Defence Secretary says UK ‘will make 2026 the year this war ends’
John Healey, pictured next to Mykhailo Fedorov, the Ukrainian defence minister, wants to ‘secure the peace’ Credit: John Thys/AFP via Getty Images
Sabrina Miller Whitehall Correspondent. Tony Diver Associate Political Editor
21 February 2026
John Healey has said he hopes to be the first Defence Secretary to deploy British troops to Ukraine in a move that would signal the end of the conflict.
Writing in The Telegraph – just days before the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion – Mr Healey declares that “2026 must be the year this terrible war ends”. He sets out his ambitious plan for peace, as well as the UK’s continued commitment to Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president.
“There is no heavier burden on any Defence Secretary or any government than committing our Armed Forces on operations,” he writes.
“I want to be the Defence Secretary who deploys British troops to Ukraine – because this will mean that this war is finally over,” he writes.
“It will mean we have negotiated peace in Ukraine. And a secure Europe needs a strong, sovereign Ukraine.”
The UK Government is working alongside allies to establish a so-called “coalition of the willing”.
This multinational peacekeeping force would guard Ukraine against Russian aggression once a deal to end the war has been secured.
Mr Healey also celebrated both the military support and generosity of British people who “opened their doors” to Ukrainian refugees in the weeks after Russia launched its attacks.
“I am proud that the UK is united for Ukraine.
“I am proud of the highest-ever level of military support we’re providing this year.
“And I am proud of all those in this country who have opened their doors to 167,000 Ukrainians.”
Among the latest supportive measures being proposed by Britain is £200m of funding that will be used to equip the British Armed Forces with the kit they need so they are ready to be deployed as part of the multinational force for Ukraine.
The money will be spent to upgrade vehicles, communication devices and to purchase new counter-drone protection hardware.
Britain has also been supporting Ukraine to produce its new AI-enabled drone interceptor that can dismantle Shaheed drones cheaply.
The initiative, known as “Octopus”, reflects the growing centrality of drone warfare.
Mr Healey also welcomed the deepening integration of the Ukrainian forces into Nato exercises. Last month, he travelled to Ukraine, witnessing first-hand the threat of missile strikes and drone attacks.
During his visit, 90 Shahed drones were fired at Kyiv – 21 targeting residential buildings.
One ballistic missile struck a site in Lviv just 15 minutes away from where he was staying.
Reflecting on the trip, Mr Healey said that this experience was a “stark reminder of what the Ukrainian people have endured for the last 1,459 nights.
“Together, we stand with those Ukrainians fighting on the front line, the countless families mourning loved ones and the millions displaced waiting for the opportunity to return home.
“We know nothing is off limits for Putin.
“His attacks kill Ukrainian children in their beds, destroy hospitals and plunge entire cities into freezing darkness.”
Mr Healey concluded by praising the bravery of Ukrainians who have continued to “fight with that same huge courage they showed on Feb 24 2022”.
“We are putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position to achieve a just and lasting peace on their terms.
“Ukrainians have shown they do not fear Russian aggression. The only thing Ukraine fears is Western fatigue.
“But as president Zelensky knows, Ukraine’s friends will never tire.”
He adds: “This war has shown us – and Putin – one important thing: never underestimate the will of the Ukrainian people.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/02/21/healey-i-want-to-send-british-troops-to-ukraine/
I am posting articles with photos as usual, but they are not appearing when I open the article.
Can anyone else see the photos?
Comment from :
Minotaur Bull
Just send in the troops to Ukraine, If Putin can use N.K. troops then Ukraine can use the Coalition of the unwilling troops. Stop playing around and call his bluff, he’s not going to use nuclear weapons, when he knows he’d destroy his own country.
Norm Browne
But there is no end in sight to this awful war. Ukraine holds it’s own and quite correctly won’t surrender territory. Putin will not accept anything less. How can this bloody impasse be resolved?
Clifford Dickinson
“…£200m of funding that will be used to equip the British Armed Forces with the kit they need so they are ready to be deployed as part of the multinational force for Ukraine.”
Really, and what will that buy?
The army has no modern AFV (Ajax being a disaster), lacks helicopter mobility, lack artillery & is low on ammunition.
It’s one thing to starve the military of funding, but to expect them to perform as in the 1980s is criminal.
This govt should either put it’s (our) money where it’s mouth is, or shut the f…. up.
Trevor Smallwood
I expect this will bring the disinformation artists out.
Vlad doesn’t like any suggestions of military opposition to his plans for Ukraine.
I fear he is likely to be seriously disappointed on that score.
🇺🇦
A Abc
The British contingent is described as a tripwire force, but when you think about it, the tripwire force is the entire deployable British army, and the only meaningful contributors to the ‘coalition of the willing’ peacekeeping force are Britain and France, so what are we getting ourselves into?
It is playing with fire without the Americans to arrive in reaction to the tripwire.
Achilles Healed
So many defeatist, spineless and naive comments. Ukraine is the UK’s front line even if they can’t face the facts of it. Britain always fought its enemies on someone else’s soil and was nearly defeated by Hitler for not recognising it sooner.
Adam Turner
With a frontline that hasn’t moved more than 15 miles in over three years for the insane cost of 1.7 million casualties, the war is already, and manifestly, unwinnable. But that hasn’t stopped it.
Arresting Russia’s ponderous advances, and putting her on a defensive footing definitively to force a ceasefire would require Western military support doubling. And this would take a level of coordination and unity that has been beyond it for four years.
That, plus upscaled sanctions a la Lukoil/Rosneft, plus ensuring post-war, access to Western tech and capital is dependent on maintaining Ukraine‘s territorial integrity, might offer a solution.
The saving grace is that the longer it goes on, the more Russia is aware that she needs peace too, and her engagement in recent talks, plus the Dimitriev package, does show that she’s increasingly willing to deal.
Gert Rasmussen
This really a battle between civilised societal norms and uncivilised societal norms.
Trump complicates this simple scenario by his simplicity.
Arm Ukraine to the hilt, defeat Russia and provide a vanquished Russia, sans Putin, with the opportunity to enter civilised society.
So simple.
Paul Rounding
If only NATO had stepped in with its air power and smashed that convoy that was held up for a few days at the beginning of the war, it could have been over within a week.