Britain and France Can and Should Redeem Their National Honor
They should send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine immediately
Britain and France Can and Should Redeem Their National Honor
Ever since the Suez crisis, Britain and France have basically avoided military operations outside a U.S.-led framework. Thatcher made a rare exception in the Falklands, and France has occasionally dabbled in post-colonial security missions in West Africa. However, in general, the European pillars of NATO have let America take the lead.
That worked well for decades. The U.S. was willing, capable, and—more importantly—interested. But the world is changing. Donald Trump is back in power, and his administration is broadcasting clear messages. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff called Vladimir Putin “super smart.” Trump himself described his talks with Putin -- talks that have accomplished very little== as “productive.” Vice President J.D. Vance dismissed Anglo-French peacekeeping efforts with a sneer: “Twenty thousand troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years is not a real security guarantee.” Witkoff went further, calling peacekeepers “a posture and a pose.”
That’s not just rhetoric—it’s a signal. The U.S. is not going to handle this for Europe. If Britain and France want Ukraine to survive as a sovereign state, they must take real action. That means sending peacekeepers now—not after the ceasefire talks wrap up, not once the ink is dry, but today. Not on the front lines, but close enough to show they mean business.
Putin might call that a provocation. But let’s be serious: he’s not going to pick a direct fight with British or French troops. He wants to grind Ukraine down—not fight two nuclear powers who belong to NATO.
The point isn’t to escalate—it’s to shape the negotiations. Troops on the ground mean leverage. Facts matter. Facts shape outcomes. If Europe wants a better deal for Ukraine, it has to create facts on the ground before the diplomats are done talking.
If Britain and France fail to act, the result won’t just be a bad peace deal. It will be another reminder that Europe doesn’t really do hard power anymore. That it's weak and, when push comes to shove, it folds. That’s not just bad for Ukraine, it’s bad for the peace of Europe.
Peacekeeping isn’t imperialism. It’s the opposite: restraint backed by credibility and for this reason it is the highest form of martial honor. If Britain and France step up, Ukraine could recover. Like Finland, it could rebuild, integrate, and thrive. If they don’t? Then Europe stays stuck and history keeps rhyming.