Ireland could join a British-led European peacekeeping force in Ukraine as Dublin plans to buy new fighter jets and double the size of its navy.

The move is a boost to Sir Keir Starmer’s hopes of building a “coalition of the willing” to police a future peace deal, which has been dealt a blow by Donald Trump’s decision to pause aid to Ukraine.

The Prime Minister has called for a British and French-led “Europe-plus” force that would put boots on the ground in Ukraine, provided it is backed by US military guarantees.

Ireland has a long-standing policy of military neutrality but also of taking part in UN peacekeeping missions, which are a source of national pride. It has soldiers stationed in the Middle East and Africa.

An Irish Department of Defence spokesman told The Telegraph that Ireland would take part in discussions over the force.

“In relation to the potential to deploy peacekeepers as part of any future peacekeeping mission, we do not believe we should recuse ourselves from such conversations in the event where a peace deal was agreed,” the defence ministry spokesman said.

The Baltic states and Finland, which all border Russia, could be involved in the coalition of the willing. The Netherlands has not ruled it out. Nato members Canada and even Turkey could contribute but Italy and Poland have ruled it out at this stage.

‘Firmly behind Ukraine’

The spokesman said: “Ireland stands firmly behind Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal war. In fact, just this week, Ireland’s Tánaiste and minister for defence Simon Harris is seeking Cabinet approval to provide a further €100 million in financial support for Ukraine.”

Mr Harris is also pushing to end Ireland’s “triple lock”, which is a mechanism that stops more than 12 Irish peacekeepers being deployed without the backing of the parliament, government and UN.