Britain and France to Deploy Troops to Ukraine in the event that a Peace Agreement is Finalized

The British and French governments have formalized a statement of purpose concerning the positioning of troops in Ukraine in the event a ceasefire be made with Moscow, the Prime Minister of Britain, Starmer, has declared.

Subsequent to talks with allied nations in Paris, he indicated that the two nations would "create defense centers in various parts of Ukraine and build secure facilities for military hardware and military equipment" to prevent any potential incursion.

The partner countries also put forward that the United States would take the lead in overseeing a ceasefire.

Moscow has on multiple occasions warned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "legitimate target", but has so far not responded on this new declaration.

The Situation and Continuing Conflict

The Kremlin's head Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, and Moscow presently occupies about 20% of the country's land.

"This constitutes a crucial element of our commitment to support Ukraine for the long-term," stated Starmer.

National leaders and senior officials from the "Coalition of the Willing" took part in the recent discussions.

Speaking at a shared media briefing, he added: "It creates the pathway for the juridical structure under which allied and coalition forces could work on Ukrainian soil, securing Ukraine's airspace and waters, and restoring Ukraine's defense capabilities for the future."

The British leader added that London would participate in any American-headed monitoring of a potential cessation of hostilities.

Protection Pledges and Negotiation Stances

Lead American diplomat Steve Witkoff said that "lasting safety pledges and substantial reconstruction vows are essential to a enduring ceasefire" in Ukraine – alluding to a major requirement made by Kyiv.

Witkoff indicated the partner nations had "largely finished" their work on agreeing such pledges "in order that the Ukrainian people know that when this war ends, it ends for good."

Donald Trump's son-in-law, ex-President Donald Trump's advisor, also was involved in the discussions.

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

He added that "robust" safety pledges for Kyiv had been settled upon in the instance of a possible ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that a "major development" had been made in Paris, but added that he would only deem efforts to be "enough" if they led to the cessation of the war.

Recently, Zelensky suggested a settlement was "90% ready". Settling the remaining 10% would "determine the fate of the peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe".

Remaining Challenges

• Territory and security guarantees have been at the center of unresolved issues for diplomats.
• Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will seize it, rejecting any concession over how to end the war.
• Zelensky has to date rejected giving up any territory, but has suggested that Ukraine could pull back its forces to an designated point – but only if Russia follows suit.

Russia currently holds approximately 75% of the Donetsk oblast and around 99% of the bordering Luhansk region. The two regions form the industrial region of the Donbas.

The initial US-led 28-point proposal that was widely leaked to the media last year was viewed by Ukraine and its partners in Europe as being strongly biased in Moscow's favor.

This led to weeks of high-level negotiations – with the involved parties trying to adjust the draft.

The previous month, Kyiv submitted the US an revised 20-point plan – as well as additional documents outlining prospective defense assurances and plans for Ukraine's reconstruction, he said.