Sir Keir Starmer has led further meetings with European allies to discuss deploying a “reassurance” force to Ukraine to ensure the country’s security against future Russian attacks.
The meeting came in the wake of what he described as a “historic” summit in the White House on Monday, led by Donald Trump and attended by eight of Europe’s top leaders, including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, to attempt to negotiate a peace settlement with Russia.
Sir Keir had already confirmed hat he is “ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air” to support a peace deal for the war-torn country. He has taken the lead in creating a “coalition of the willing” to help shore up Ukraine’s defences. Trump, meanwhile, has ruled out sending American troops to Ukraine.
The prime minister had also pledged to increase UK defence spending, saying that “tyrants” like Russian president Vladimir Putin “only respond to strength”. His initial promise to raise spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, with an aim to hit 3 per cent by the end of the next term, was quickly altered to five per cent in line with Nato promises in June.
Relations with Russia are at their worst since the Cold War period, and military experts believe that European countries need to be prepared for conflict.
But is the UK ready to put boots on the ground; and how do Britain’s armed forces compare now to 40 years ago, in 1984, when the UK was engaged in a stand-off with Russia?
Earlier this year the Ministry of Defence released its latest figures on military equipment, accurate as of April 2024.
The army increased its number of Challenger II Main Battle Tanks from 213 to 219 in the past year to April.
Ministry of Defence figures show that the army also has some 128 Ajax armoured fighting vehicles, though an update from defence minister Lord Coaker suggests that only 91 of these are already in service, after years of delay.
The UK also added four new F-35 fighter jets, also known as Lightning, bringing the total to 35 according to latest figures.
The number of Typhoon jets (137), submarines (10), destroyers (6), and frigates (12) remained the same as the previous year.
In terms of personnel and ships, the UK’s capacity is substantially lower than in 1984, primarily because the UK is in peacetime and equipment needs have evolved.
Technology has evolved significantly since the 1980s, in particular when it comes to air defence and tanks. This means that some equipment will be fewer in number but of a much higher quality.
While jet fighters of the 1980s were technologically advanced for their time, the newest aircraft are more akin to flying supercomputers. Submarines are designed to evade ever more complicated detection equipment and warships have to tackle missiles which travel several times the speed of sound.
