UK PM Starmer says U.S. must provide security guarantee for Ukraine to deter Russia

PARIS, Feb 17 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that there must be a U.S. security commitment for European countries to send postwar peacekeeping forces to Ukraine and it was too early to say how many British troops he would be willing to deploy.

"Europe must play its role, and I'm prepared to consider committing British forces on the ground alongside others, if there is a lasting peace agreement, but there must be a U.S. backstop, because a U.S. security guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again," Starmer told reporters.