UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's shifting from "boots on the ground" to support in air and sea showed the limitations of the impractical "coalition of the willing" in pursuing a possible ceasefire in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, experts said.

Starmer held a meeting with military officers of around 30 countries, including those from NATO member countries, and Ukraine, on Thursday near London to discuss proposals to help guarantee Kyiv's security as part of any peace deal.

The so-called "coalition of the willing" was proposed by Starmer earlier to rally European countries to form a peacekeeping force — which many experts remain skeptical about when it comes to practicality.

Con Coughlin, defense and foreign affairs editor of The Telegraph, wrote on Thursday that Europe's "coalition of the willing" is doomed to fail, saying "evident flaws in Starmer's coalition plan are now starting to surface, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni …insisting that sending European peacekeeping troops to Ukraine would be 'risky, complex and ineffective'."

The UK's Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard also said the plan for a "coalition of the willing" to police any Ukraine peace deal with Russia depends on the involvement of the United States. So far, US President Donald Trump has shown little interest in any such plan.

Asked by Times Radio whether the UK government was willing to put British troops in Ukraine if the US walked away, Pollard said: "No, the prime minister has been very clear that in bringing together European nations and other allies from across the world to prepare a force that will secure the peace, it will need a US backstop, US involvement."

Lacking commitment

Keith Bennett, a senior international affairs analyst, told China Daily the fact that Starmer appears to have rolled back on his proposals is that he didn't have much support.

"Starmer can call people together to talk, but to the extent that his proposals are being reduced, shows that people will come and talk, but actual commitment is lacking," he said. "This can only work with the support of the Americans and the agreement of the Russians. Trump seems not particularly interested in involving the Europeans, except to make them pay for things.

"And the idea that Britain and other countries would somehow police a ceasefire has to be something that Russia agrees to, otherwise, there won't be a ceasefire to police. … Starmer can try to rally support for proposals, but his ability to implement them is, to say the least, limited."

Alex Gordon, president of RMT, a UK trade union, called Starmer's latest saber-rattling moves, including inspecting a nuclear submarine, a "desperate gamble" and is aimed at reviving his poll rating.

"It is to claim that by spending money on nuclear weapons, submarines, aircraft, and bombs, we can have a war economy which will create jobs and create employment and create wealth for British people. …It's a deliberate lie," he said. "The majority of the British arms companies are controlled or owned by American corporations, by American venture capital."

Alan Freeman, co-director of the Geopolitical Economy Research Group in London, said that the "coalition of the willing" could become a warmongering to undermine ceasefire talks.

"The Europeans' warmongering against Russia has rebounded because they're losing … so warmongering is now the only recourse they have … And it's very dangerous," said Freeman, adding that the UK's special relationship with the US means if it turns its back on the US, it will be economically and militarily vulnerable.

"Starmer is beating the drum. But I think much of what he's doing is very empty," he said.

xingyi@mail.chinadailyuk.com