The United Kingdom and France Will Dispatch Military Personnel to the Country should a Ceasefire Accord is Reached

The British and French governments have inked a statement of purpose concerning the deployment of troops in Ukraine should a peace agreement be struck with Moscow, the British leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has announced.

After discussions with Ukraine's allies in the French capital, he noted that the UK and France would "establish defense centers in various parts of Ukraine and erect protected structures for military hardware and military equipment" to discourage any potential attack.

The coalition members also proposed that the United States would play the primary role in overseeing a halt in hostilities.

Moscow has on multiple occasions stated that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "acceptable aim", but has not yet commented on this recent declaration.

Background and Ongoing Hostilities

Moscow's leader Vladimir Putin initiated a major offensive of Ukraine in early 2022, and Russia currently holds roughly 20% of Ukraine's sovereign soil.

"This represents an essential component of our pledge to be alongside Ukraine for the foreseeable future," remarked the UK Prime Minister.

Top officials and senior officials from the "Coalition of the Willing" were involved in the Paris negotiations.

He stated at a combined announcement, Starmer noted: "It establishes the framework for the juridical structure under which allied and coalition forces could operate on the ground in Ukraine, protecting Ukraine's skies and seas, and regenerating Ukraine's military for the future."

The PM went on to say that Britain would participate in any Washington-directed verification of a possible cessation of hostilities.

Protection Pledges and Diplomatic Positions

Top Washington representative Steve Witkoff remarked that "lasting safety pledges and robust prosperity commitments are vital to a permanent resolution" in Ukraine – referring to a key requirement made by the Ukrainian government.

Witkoff noted the coalition had "mostly completed" their work on establishing such assurances "in order that the Ukrainian people know that when this war ends, it ends permanently."

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

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Ukraine's partners had made "major advances" at the negotiations.

He added that "strong" safety pledges for the Ukrainian government had been agreed in the case of a prospective truce.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a "huge step forward" had been made in the negotiations, but qualified that he would only view efforts to be "sufficient" if they led to the conclusion of the fighting.

Recently, he said a peace deal was "90% ready". Settling the outstanding 10% would "decide the future of the agreement, the fate of Ukraine and Europe".

Unresolved Issues

• Land and defense assurances have been at the forefront of ongoing disputes for diplomats.
• The Russian President has repeatedly warned that Kyiv's military must pull back 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 rejected surrendering any territory, but has proposed that Ukraine could move its forces to an designated point – but only if Russia follows suit.

Russian forces presently holds about 75% of the Donetsk oblast and some 99% of the adjacent Luhansk. The two regions form the area of the Donbas.

The original US-led multi-point framework that was widely leaked to the media last year was viewed by Kyiv and its European allies as being strongly biased in Moscow's favor.

This led to a period of high-level diplomacy – with Ukraine, the US and European leaders trying to amend the draft.

Last month, Kyiv sent the US an updated framework – as well as separate documents outlining possible security guarantees and plans for Ukraine's rebuilding, Zelensky said.