“We won’t be drawn”: Government refuses to give details on Ukraine deployment

Defence minister Al Carns has refused to tell the public any details of a potential UK deployment to Ukraine. British troops have been lined up to deploy as part of a Multinational Force – Ukraine (MNF-U) if a ceasefire is reached with Russia.

Specifics were elusive – and Carns left the situation as clear as mud once again.

Tory MP James Cartlidge asked Carns on 19 January:

what discussions he has had with his French and Ukrainian counterparts on scenario planning for the number of UK service personnel for the proposed Multinational Force – Ukraine; and if will set out the ranges of UK personnel deployment discussed.

Carns was tight-lipped, citing ‘national security’:

Planning continues at pace, but we will not be drawn into the details of any future UK Armed Forces deployment, including its levels, composition, assets, and participating nations, due to the risk to operational security

A 7 January 2025 statement of intent said the UK and France were willing to send troops to police any ceasefire.

That statement said the partners were willing to:

Deploy units of the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the French Republic, together with units of the armed forces of contributing nations of the MNF-U, on the territory of Ukraine in all domains to support Ukraine’s capabilities to deter third countries from carrying out further attacks on Ukraine’s territory.

Military hubs in Ukraine for arms firms

The statement also pledged that “military hubs” would be created. As the Canary reported on 16 January, these hubs will be of great benefit to UK arms firms.

Defence secretary John Healey said:

This new centre will supercharge that effort and ensure British companies, no matter how small, can support Ukraine in the fight today and help secure the peace we hope to see tomorrow.

‘Support’ here can be read as ‘profit from’.

UK arms firm BAE Systems and the Ukrainian government were reportedly planning to open a massive arms factory in 2023. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky even had a video call with BAE Systems bosses.

He told reporters:

It is indeed a massive manufacturer of weaponry, the kind of weaponry that we need now and will continue to need.

‘National security’ is a well-worn catch-all. It allows UK ministers to dodge serious questions – even those which are in the public interest. Despite his ministerial job, Carns is a relatively new MP. But he has learned that lesson well, at least. The UK has again shown that on foreign policy issues, it is little more than a dictatorship.

Featured image via the Canary