The United Kingdom and France to Deploy Troops to the Country should a Ceasefire Accord is Agreed

The London and Paris have formalized a statement of purpose concerning the deployment of armed personnel in Ukraine should a peace deal be concluded with Moscow, the Prime Minister of Britain, Keir Starmer, has declared.

After talks with Kyiv's partners in the French capital, he said that the UK and France would "establish operational bases throughout Ukraine and erect secure installations for arms and defense matériel" to deter any future invasion.

The coalition members also suggested that the US would play the primary role in monitoring a ceasefire.

Moscow has consistently stated that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "legitimate target", but has so far not commented on this new declaration.

Background and Continuing War

Russian President Vladimir Putin began a major offensive of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow presently holds about 20% of Ukrainian territory.

"This constitutes a crucial element of our pledge to stand with Ukraine for the long-term," commented Starmer.

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

Addressing reporters at a combined announcement, the Prime Minister noted: "It paves the way for the operational parameters under which British, French, and partner forces could function on Ukraine's territory, securing Ukraine's air and maritime domains, and restoring Ukraine's defense capabilities for the years ahead."

The UK prime minister added that London would be involved in any Washington-directed verification of a potential ceasefire.

Defense Assurances and Diplomatic Positions

Top Washington representative Steve Witkoff said that "durable safety pledges and robust reconstruction vows are critical to a lasting peace" in Ukraine – referring to a major demand made by Kyiv.

He indicated the partner nations had "substantially agreed on" their work on finalizing such assurances "in order that the citizens of Ukraine know that when this conflict ends, it ends permanently."

The former US envoy, US President Donald Trump's representative, also was involved in the discussions.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Ukraine's supporters had made "considerable headway" at the meeting.

He noted that "comprehensive" defense assurances for Kyiv had been reached in the instance of a possible ceasefire.

Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky commented that a "major development" had been made in the negotiations, but qualified that he would only deem efforts to be "enough" if they resulted in the conclusion of the fighting.

Last week, he indicated a settlement was "mostly finalized". Settling the remaining 10% would "shape the future of peace, the future of Ukraine and Europe".

Outstanding Matters

• Land and defense assurances have been at the forefront of ongoing disputes for the parties involved.
• Putin has often said that Ukraine's forces must pull back from the entirety of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will seize it, rejecting any concession over how to finish the war.
• The Ukrainian President has so far rejected giving up any territory, but has suggested that Ukraine could pull back its troops to an agreed point – but only if Russia reciprocates.

Russia currently controls approximately 75% of the Donetsk oblast and around 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk region. The areas form the heartland of Donbas.

The original US-led comprehensive peace plan that was extensively reported to the media last year was viewed by Kyiv and its European allies as being strongly biased in Moscow's direction.

This led to weeks of focused discussions – with all sides trying to revise the document.

The previous month, Kyiv submitted the US an new framework – as well as separate documents describing possible defense assurances and arrangements for Ukraine's recovery, Zelensky stated.