UK and France Plan to Send Troops to Ukraine if a Peace Agreement is Agreed

The UK and France have inked a declaration of intent concerning the deployment of military forces in Ukraine in the event a peace agreement be struck with Moscow, the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has stated.

After negotiations with allied nations in the French capital, he said that the UK and France would "set up defense centers across Ukraine and build protected installations for arms and defense matériel" to prevent any subsequent incursion.

The partner countries also put forward that the America would assume leadership in verifying a truce.

The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that any non-Ukrainian military in Ukraine would be considered a "valid objective", but has so far not commented on this new development.

Context and Continuing Conflict

Moscow's leader Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow currently occupies approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory.

"This represents an essential component of our pledge to be alongside Ukraine for the long-term," commented the UK Prime Minister.

Heads of state and senior officials from the "Coalition of the Willing" were involved in the recent discussions.

He stated at a shared media briefing, the Prime Minister added: "It establishes the framework for the operational parameters under which allied and coalition forces could operate on Ukrainian soil, defending Ukraine's skies and seas, and rebuilding Ukraine's military for the years ahead."

The PM went on to say that the UK would be involved in any Washington-directed verification of a possible ceasefire.

Defense Assurances and Negotiation Stances

Lead American diplomat Steve Witkoff remarked that "lasting defense assurances and strong reconstruction vows are vital to a permanent resolution" in Ukraine – alluding to a major requirement made by the Ukrainian government.

The negotiator said the partner nations had "substantially agreed on" their work on establishing such guarantees "so that the citizens of Ukraine know that when this conflict ends, it ends permanently."

Donald Trump's son-in-law, ex-President Donald Trump's representative, also took part in the negotiations.

Meanwhile, France's leader Emmanuel Macron stated that Ukraine's allies had made "major progress" at the talks.

He added that "comprehensive" security guarantees for the Ukrainian government had been agreed in the instance of a prospective truce.

Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky said that a "significant advance" had been made in Paris, but qualified that he would only deem efforts to be "enough" if they culminated in the end of the fighting.

Earlier, he indicated a peace agreement was "largely prepared". Agreeing on the last 10% would "shape the future of the peace, the future of Ukraine and Europe".

Outstanding Matters

• Sovereign soil and security guarantees have been at the heart of key disagreements for negotiators.
• Putin has often said that Ukrainian troops must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will seize it, refusing any concession over how to end the war.
• The Ukrainian President has so far ruled out ceding any territory, but has floated the idea that Ukraine could withdraw its forces to an agreed point – but only if Russia follows suit.

Moscow currently controls approximately 75% of the Donetsk region and some 99% of the adjacent Luhansk. The two regions form the heartland of the Donbas.

The earlier US-led comprehensive peace plan that was widely leaked to the media last year was seen by Ukraine and its partners in Europe as being heavily skewed in Russia's favor.

This triggered weeks of focused discussions – with the involved parties trying to amend the draft.

Recently, The Ukrainian government submitted the US an revised framework – as well as separate documents outlining prospective security guarantees and arrangements for Ukraine's reconstruction, the President said.