Britain and France Will Dispatch Forces to the Country in the event that a Ceasefire Accord is Finalized

The London and Paris have inked a declaration of intent concerning the positioning of military forces in Ukraine in the event a peace deal be made with Russia, the Prime Minister of Britain, Sir Keir Starmer, has declared.

After discussions with Kyiv's partners in Paris, he said that the allies would "set up operational bases in various parts of Ukraine and build fortified structures for military hardware and equipment" to discourage any potential invasion.

The partner countries also proposed that the US would take the lead in verifying a halt in hostilities.

Russia has on multiple occasions cautioned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "legitimate target", but has as yet not commented on this recent development.

Background and Continuing Conflict

The Kremlin's head Vladimir Putin began a major offensive of Ukraine in February 2022, and Russian forces currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine's sovereign soil.

"This constitutes a crucial element of our pledge to be alongside Ukraine for the foreseeable future," stated the British leader.

Heads of state and high-ranking officials from the "Coalition of the Willing" took part in the Paris negotiations.

He stated at a joint press conference, the Prime Minister added: "It establishes the framework for the juridical structure under which allied and coalition forces could work on the ground in Ukraine, securing Ukraine's air and maritime domains, and regenerating Ukraine's armed forces for the future."

The PM added that Britain would participate in any US-led monitoring of a possible truce.

Protection Pledges and Diplomatic Positions

Top US negotiator Steve Witkoff said that "durable defense assurances and robust reconstruction vows are vital to a enduring ceasefire" in Ukraine – referring to a central requirement made by Kyiv.

Witkoff said the partner nations had "mostly completed" their work on establishing such pledges "in order that the people of Ukraine know that when this hostilities ends, it ends permanently."

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

Separately, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Ukraine's supporters had made "significant advances" at the meeting.

He said that "robust" security guarantees for the Ukrainian government had been agreed in the event of a possible ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that a "huge advance" had been made in the negotiations, but added that he would only view efforts to be "adequate" if they resulted in the cessation of the war.

Recently, the Ukrainian leader indicated a peace agreement was "mostly finalized". Settling the remaining 10% would "determine the fate of the peace, the destiny of Ukraine and Europe".

Unresolved Issues

• Territory and defense assurances have been at the forefront of key disagreements for diplomats.
• Putin has consistently stated that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the entirety of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will take control, dismissing any compromise over how to finish the war.
• The Ukrainian President has thus far ruled out ceding any land, but has suggested that Ukraine could withdraw its troops to an agreed point – but only if Russia follows suit.

Russian forces currently occupies approximately 75% of the Donetsk region and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The pair of oblasts form the heartland of the Donbas.

The initial US-led multi-point proposal that was extensively reported to the media last year was seen by Ukraine and its partners in Europe as being heavily skewed in Moscow's direction.

This sparked a period of intensive negotiations – with the involved parties trying to amend the proposal.

Last month, Ukraine submitted the US an new framework – as well as additional documents describing possible defense assurances and provisions for Ukraine's rebuilding, Zelensky added.