Verification result: lack of evidence
On March 23, a reader tagged the Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) with an X, asking whether Britain and France had recently sent troops to Ukraine. The reader's inquiry quoted a post from a blue-check verified account , "Bai Zhaodong," which stated: "Britain sends troops to Ukraine—at this critical moment in history, the British Empire still counts!"
AFCL uses keyword searches to collate official information and credible reports to illustrate the relevant facts about British and French aid to Ukraine so far.
Will Britain and France officially deploy ground combat troops?
According to a news report from the American political magazine "Politico" on March 30 , British Defense Secretary Luke Pollard said in an interview with Times Radio that whether Britain will send troops to monitor the peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia still depends on the participation and support of the United States.
Previously, the BBC reported in mid-February, citing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, that the UK was preparing to deploy troops to Ukraine to help ensure its security as part of a peace agreement. The Guardian repeated this report on March 21, also citing Starmer's remarks.
As for France, news reports in February indicated that French President Emmanuel Macron "would not send troops" to Ukraine. However, Macron stated after the recent Paris Summit on Ukraine that France and the United Kingdom would push for a "support force" to be sent to Ukraine after a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. He added that this was not a unanimous decision among the participating countries, but that unanimity was not necessary to achieve this goal.
AFCL has written to the British and French ministries of defense, but no response was received before press time.
British and French military aid to Ukraine
The "Coalition of the Willing," led by Britain and France, was established on March 2nd to help maintain a ceasefire in Ukraine and promote a more lasting, stable, and just peace. The coalition comprises approximately 31 countries, including NATO and EU member states, as well as non-EU countries such as Canada and Norway. Participants have chosen to deploy troops to Ukraine or provide logistical and other support.
According to official UK information , the UK has pledged £7.8 billion in military support to Ukraine since the conflict began. In 2025 , the UK announced £4.5 billion in aid, including £3 billion in lethal weapons and £1.5 billion in a £2.26 billion loan from the G7's Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Scheme, which is funded by freezing Russian sovereign assets.
In addition, the UK has provided Ukraine with about 400 types of military equipment , such as 650 Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) to strengthen its air defense capabilities, as well as Stormer air defense vehicles and thousands of air defense missiles such as Starstreak and AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile).
In addition to military equipment, the UK also provides medical services to Ukrainian soldiers , such as Project Renovator, to help injured soldiers recover.
France's aid to Ukraine primarily consists of military equipment and financial assistance. In March of this year, French President Emmanuel Macron announced an additional €2 billion in military aid, including anti-tank missiles, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, drones, Mirage fighter jets, and other weapons.
In addition, France donated two mobile DNA analysis laboratories to Ukraine to assist in identifying war victims. According to the website of the French Embassy in the UK ( 1 , 2 ), the first laboratory was delivered to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine in July 2022, and the second was delivered to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in May 2023.
The above is the publicly available information available so far regarding UK and French aid to Ukraine. This does not include the deployment of ground troops to Ukraine, so the online rumor that "British troops are deployed to Ukraine" is unfounded.
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