Britain and France Will Dispatch Troops to Ukraine should a Peace Deal is Reached

The British and French governments have inked a declaration of intent concerning the stationing of troops in the nation should a peace agreement be made with Russia, the UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has stated.

After negotiations with Kyiv's partners in the French capital, he said that the UK and France would "set up military hubs across Ukraine and erect fortified structures for weapons and equipment" to prevent any future incursion.

The partner countries also proposed that the US would take the lead in overseeing a truce.

The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that any external forces in Ukraine would be considered a "legitimate target", but has as yet not commented on this new announcement.

Background and Ongoing War

The Kremlin's head Vladimir Putin initiated a major offensive of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukraine's sovereign soil.

"This is a vital part of our commitment to stand with Ukraine for the long-term," commented the UK Prime Minister.

Top officials and top officials from the "Coalition of the Willing" were involved in the Paris negotiations.

Addressing reporters at a shared media briefing, he added: "It establishes the framework for the legal framework under which British, French, and partner forces could operate on the ground in Ukraine, protecting Ukraine's airspace and waters, and rebuilding Ukraine's defense capabilities for the future."

The UK prime minister also stated that the UK would take part in any American-headed monitoring of a potential ceasefire.

Protection Pledges and Negotiation Stances

Senior American diplomat Steve Witkoff stated that "durable defense assurances and strong economic promises are vital to a lasting peace" in Ukraine – referring to a key demand made by Kyiv.

He noted the partner nations had "largely finished" their work on agreeing such guarantees "so that the citizens of Ukraine know that when this hostilities ends, it ends permanently."

Jared Kushner, ex-President Donald Trump's special envoy, also was involved in the negotiations.

At the same time, France's leader Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine's allies had made "considerable progress" at the negotiations.

He added that "robust" security guarantees for Ukraine had been agreed in the case of a potential truce.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that a "significant advance" had been made in the negotiations, but cautioned that he would only consider efforts to be "enough" if they culminated in the end of the conflict.

Earlier, the Ukrainian leader suggested a settlement was "mostly finalized". Agreeing on the remaining 10% would "decide the future of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe".

Remaining Challenges

• Land and security guarantees have been at the center of ongoing disputes for diplomats.
• Putin has consistently stated that Ukrainian troops must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will seize it, rejecting any compromise over how to end the war.
• Zelensky has to date excluded ceding any territory, but has floated the idea that Ukraine could withdraw its troops to an agreed point – but only if Russia follows suit.

Moscow presently holds approximately 75% of the Donetsk oblast and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk region. The areas form the area of the Donbas.

The earlier US-led 28-point proposal that was widely leaked to the media last year was perceived by Ukraine and its European allies as being heavily skewed in Moscow's favor.

This sparked a period of high-level diplomacy – with all sides trying to revise the document.

The previous month, The Ukrainian government presented the US an updated framework – as well as additional documents describing possible security guarantees and provisions for Ukraine's recovery, Zelensky added.