London: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer paid tribute to British soldiers who fought alongside coalition forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, acknowledging their sacrifices and bravery.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Starmer specifically honored six British soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan on the same day 13 years ago when their patrol vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb.
“These men fought and died for their country and for our country,” Starmer stated. He further emphasized that over the past two decades, 642 British personnel who served alongside coalition forces in Afghanistan and Iraq have been killed, with many more injured.
According to the Associated Press, Starmer’s remarks were seen as a response to recent comments by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance regarding the deployment of peacekeeping troops to Ukraine after a potential peace agreement with Russia.
The UK and France have expressed their willingness to send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, provided they receive additional support from the United States. However, Vice President Vance suggested in an interview with Fox News this week that instead of deploying troops, a U.S.-Ukraine economic deal, as proposed by President Donald Trump, would be a better security guarantee than sending 20,000 soldiers from countries that “haven’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years.”
Although Starmer did not mention Vance by name, he made it clear that he and other members of Parliament would never forget the courage and sacrifices of British forces.
Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, British forces fought alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. France also contributed troops as part of the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan.
So far, no other country besides the UK and France has committed to sending peacekeeping forces to Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump has not offered any security guarantees for Ukraine, instead proposing an economic agreement that he claims would be sufficient to deter future Russian aggression.
The U.S. is currently withholding military aid and intelligence-sharing with Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated his willingness to sign an economic deal that would give the U.S. long-term access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, which are crucial for U.S. technology production.
