UK and France Plan to Send Forces to the Country if a Peace Agreement is Agreed

The London and Paris have signed a statement of purpose concerning the deployment of military forces in the nation should a peace deal be concluded with Russia, the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has announced.

After discussions with Ukraine's allies in Paris, he said that the two nations would "establish military hubs across Ukraine and construct protected installations for arms and military equipment" to deter any future attack.

The coalition members also suggested that the United States would take the lead in overseeing a truce.

Moscow has on multiple occasions cautioned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "legitimate target", but has not yet issued a statement on this new announcement.

Context and Ongoing Conflict

Moscow's leader Vladimir Putin began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow at this time controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.

"This is a vital part of our pledge to support Ukraine for the foreseeable future," commented Starmer.

Heads of state and high-ranking officials from the "Partner Group" participated in Tuesday's talks.

Speaking at a joint press conference, he noted: "It paves the way for the operational parameters under which allied and coalition forces could operate on the ground in Ukraine, protecting Ukraine's airspace and waters, and restoring Ukraine's military for the time to come."

The PM went on to say that the UK would take part in any Washington-directed confirmation of a possible ceasefire.

Security Guarantees and Diplomatic Positions

Lead Washington representative Steve Witkoff said that "lasting safety pledges and substantial prosperity commitments are essential to a permanent resolution" in Ukraine – mentioning a central condition made by Kyiv.

The negotiator noted the partner nations had "mostly completed" their work on finalizing such guarantees "so that the Ukrainian people know that when this war ends, it ends permanently."

Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's special envoy, also took part in the discussions.

Separately, President Macron Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine's allies had made "major progress" at the talks.

He noted that "strong" defense assurances for Kyiv had been reached in the case of a potential ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that a "huge step forward" had been made in Paris, but cautioned that he would only consider efforts to be "enough" if they culminated in the cessation of the fighting.

Earlier, Zelensky indicated a peace deal was "90% ready". Agreeing on the outstanding 10% would "decide the future of the agreement, the future of Ukraine and Europe".

Outstanding Matters

• Sovereign soil and security guarantees have been at the heart of key disagreements for the parties involved.
• The Russian President has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops must retreat from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will seize it, rejecting any compromise over how to conclude the war.
• Zelensky has so far ruled out surrendering any land, but has floated the idea that Ukraine could move its troops to an designated point – but only if Russia follows suit.

Russia currently holds about 75% of the Donetsk oblast and some 99% of the adjacent Luhansk region. The areas form the area of the Donbas.

The original US-led comprehensive framework that was widely leaked to the media last year was viewed by Ukraine and its partners in Europe as being strongly biased in Russia's direction.

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

The previous month, The Ukrainian government sent the US an updated 20-point plan – as well as distinct documents outlining possible defense assurances and provisions for Ukraine's recovery, Zelensky added.