Britain and France Will Dispatch Military Personnel to the Country if a Peace Agreement is Reached

The UK and France have signed a statement of purpose concerning the deployment of armed personnel in Ukraine in the event a ceasefire be made with Russia, the Prime Minister of Britain, Keir Starmer, has announced.

Subsequent to talks with allied nations in the French capital, he said that the UK and France would "establish military hubs in various parts of Ukraine and construct protected facilities for arms and military equipment" to prevent any subsequent attack.

The allied nations also proposed that the US would play the primary role in overseeing a halt in hostilities.

Moscow has on multiple occasions cautioned that any external forces in Ukraine would be considered a "valid objective", but has so far not responded on this new declaration.

Context and Ongoing Conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin began a comprehensive attack of Ukraine in the start of last year, and Russian forces presently holds roughly 20% of the country's land.

"This is a vital part of our pledge to be alongside Ukraine for the foreseeable future," commented Starmer.

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

He stated at a combined announcement, the Prime Minister noted: "It paves the way for the legal framework under which British, French, and partner forces could operate on the ground in Ukraine, defending Ukraine's skies and seas, and restoring Ukraine's defense capabilities for the future."

The British leader went on to say that Britain would participate in any US-led verification of a potential ceasefire.

Security Guarantees and Negotiation Stances

Senior American diplomat Steve Witkoff said that "durable safety pledges and strong prosperity commitments are critical to a permanent resolution" in Ukraine – mentioning a central condition made by Kyiv.

He said the partner nations had "substantially agreed on" their work on finalizing such assurances "to ensure the citizens of Ukraine know that when this hostilities ends, it ends for good."

Donald Trump's son-in-law, former American President Donald Trump's special envoy, also took part in the negotiations.

At the same time, France's leader Emmanuel Macron declared that Ukraine's allies had made "significant progress" at the negotiations.

He noted that "comprehensive" security guarantees for the Ukrainian government had been reached in the event of a potential ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a "huge step forward" had been made in the negotiations, but added that he would only view efforts to be "adequate" if they resulted in the end of the conflict.

Last week, he said a peace agreement was "mostly finalized". Settling the last 10% would "determine the future of the agreement, the future of Ukraine and Europe".

Outstanding Matters

• Territory and defense assurances have been at the heart of unresolved issues for negotiators.
• The Russian President has repeatedly warned that Ukraine's forces must retreat from the entirety of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will occupy it, refusing any compromise over how to conclude the war.
• Kyiv has so far ruled out ceding any land, but has floated the idea that Ukraine could withdraw its forces to an agreed point – but only if Russia does the same.

Russia presently controls approximately 75% of the Donetsk oblast and around 99% of the bordering Luhansk. The pair of oblasts form the area of Donbas.

The original US-led 28-point proposal that was extensively reported to the media last year was perceived by Kyiv and its partners in Europe as being strongly biased in Moscow's direction.

This led to weeks of intensive discussions – with Ukraine, the US and European leaders trying to adjust the draft.

Last month, Kyiv presented the US an new framework – as well as additional documents detailing potential security guarantees and provisions for Ukraine's recovery, he stated.