British troops are to rehearse Ukraine peacekeeping in Poland next month as Trump refuses to blame Putin for the war

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting unveiled the exercise following talks with Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, saying thousands of personnel will simulate the movement of troops and supplies into a post-war Ukraine. At least 1,500 soldiers from Britain, France and Germany will travel to Poland next month to rehearse security guarantee drills agreed at a coalition of the willing summit in July. The announcement comes as Trump distanced himself from European allies by declining to answer whether Putin started the Ukraine war.

Streeting cautioned in Washington that if Moscow's aggression went unpunished, 'the consequences will not remain confined to Ukraine or to my continent.'

Trump also rejected any US responsibility for interrupting Ukraine's access to Starlink satellite communications, leaving Kyiv exposed to attack.

General Sir Roly Walker, chief of the general staff, told troops at Catterick Garrison that 'very soon' political leaders would be calling on them as global instability grows.