British soldiers from the 7th Light Mechanised Brigade, which will take part in an 11-country rehearsal of deployment to Ukraine this month.Photograph: US army photo/Alamy

British troops and their European allies would be allowed to fire back if attacked by Russians when potentially stationed as peacekeepers in Ukraine after a ceasefire, western officials said.

The Anglo-French led stabilisation force would also not rely on US systems or technology, such as Elon Musk's Starlink, and is expected to be almost exclusively European if deployed.