UK and France Plan to Send Forces to Ukraine if a Peace Agreement is Reached

The London and Paris have formalized a declaration of intent concerning the deployment of troops in the nation should a peace agreement be made with Moscow, the British leader, Keir Starmer, has declared.

Following talks with Kyiv's partners in the French capital, he said that the two nations would "set up operational bases throughout Ukraine and construct fortified structures for weapons and equipment" to discourage any subsequent attack.

The allied nations also proposed that the United States would take the lead in overseeing a halt in hostilities.

Moscow has repeatedly stated that any external forces in Ukraine would be considered a "legitimate target", but has so far not issued a statement on this recent development.

The Situation and Continuing Conflict

The Kremlin's head Vladimir Putin began a major offensive of Ukraine in early 2022, and Moscow presently controls approximately 20% of Ukraine's sovereign soil.

"This constitutes a crucial element of our commitment to be alongside Ukraine for the foreseeable future," remarked Starmer.

Heads of state and high-ranking officials from the "Allied Coalition" were involved in Tuesday's talks.

Addressing reporters at a combined announcement, Starmer noted: "It paves the way for the legal framework under which British, French, and partner forces could function on Ukrainian soil, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and rebuilding Ukraine's military for the years ahead."

The British leader also stated that London would be involved in any US-led confirmation of a possible ceasefire.

Security Guarantees and Diplomatic Positions

Lead Washington representative Steve Witkoff remarked that "lasting defense assurances and strong reconstruction vows are essential to a permanent resolution" in Ukraine – mentioning a central requirement made by Ukraine.

The negotiator noted the partner nations had "substantially agreed on" their work on agreeing such assurances "to ensure the Ukrainian people know that when this hostilities ends, it ends for good."

Jared Kushner, former American President Donald Trump's representative, also was involved in the negotiations.

Meanwhile, France's leader Emmanuel Macron declared that Ukraine's allies had made "significant headway" at the meeting.

He said that "comprehensive" safety pledges for the Ukrainian government had been agreed in the event of a prospective truce.

President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that a "huge development" had been made in the negotiations, but cautioned that he would only view efforts to be "adequate" if they resulted in the conclusion of the fighting.

Earlier, Zelensky said a peace deal was "largely prepared". Settling the last 10% would "decide the outcome of the agreement, the destiny of Ukraine and Europe".

Outstanding Matters

• Sovereign soil and security guarantees have been at the center of key disagreements for the parties involved.
• Moscow has repeatedly warned that Kyiv's military must withdraw from the entirety of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will seize it, rejecting any middle ground over how to finish the war.
• The Ukrainian President has so far rejected ceding any territory, but has proposed that Ukraine could withdraw its forces to an designated point – but only if Russia does the same.

Russian forces presently controls about 75% of the Donetsk oblast and around 99% of the bordering Luhansk. The pair of oblasts form the industrial region of the Donbas.

The initial US-led 28-point proposal that was extensively reported to the media last year was seen by Kyiv and its partners in Europe as being disproportionately favorable in Moscow's direction.

This sparked weeks of focused discussions – with all sides trying to adjust the draft.

The previous month, Ukraine sent the US an updated proposal – as well as additional documents outlining possible defense assurances and provisions for Ukraine's recovery, the President added.