UK and France Plan to Send Forces to Ukraine should a Peace Agreement is Reached

The British and French governments have signed a memorandum of understanding concerning the positioning of armed personnel in Ukraine if a peace deal be made with Russia, the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has announced.

After negotiations with Kyiv's partners in Paris, he noted that the allies would "establish military hubs across Ukraine and construct fortified structures for arms and defense matériel" to discourage any future incursion.

The partner countries also put forward that the America would play the primary role in monitoring a ceasefire.

Russia has consistently warned that any non-Ukrainian military in Ukraine would be considered a "valid objective", but has as yet not responded on this new declaration.

Background and Continuing Hostilities

The Kremlin's head Vladimir Putin initiated a major offensive of Ukraine in early 2022, and Russian forces currently occupies approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory.

"This constitutes a crucial element of our commitment to stand with Ukraine for the duration," stated the British leader.

Top officials and high-ranking officials from the "Allied Coalition" took part in Tuesday's talks.

Addressing reporters at a joint press conference, the Prime Minister further said: "It paves the way for the legal framework under which British, French, and partner forces could work on Ukrainian soil, defending Ukraine's air and maritime domains, and rebuilding Ukraine's armed forces for the time to come."

The British leader went on to say that Britain would take part in any Washington-directed verification of a potential cessation of hostilities.

Security Guarantees and Diplomatic Positions

Top Washington representative Steve Witkoff remarked that "lasting defense assurances and substantial reconstruction vows are vital to a permanent resolution" in Ukraine – alluding to a central demand made by Kyiv.

Witkoff noted the coalition had "substantially agreed on" their work on establishing such guarantees "in order that the Ukrainian people know that when this conflict ends, it ends for good."

Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's representative, also took part in the talks.

Meanwhile, President Macron Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine's supporters had made "significant advances" at the negotiations.

He said that "robust" defense assurances for Ukraine had been reached in the instance of a prospective truce.

Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky said that a "major advance" had been made in the negotiations, but added that he would only view efforts to be "sufficient" if they led to the end of the conflict.

Earlier, the Ukrainian leader said a settlement was "largely prepared". Finalizing the remaining 10% would "shape the outcome of the agreement, the destiny of Ukraine and Europe".

Outstanding Matters

• Sovereign soil and security guarantees have been at the center of unresolved issues for diplomats.
• The Russian President has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops must pull back from the entirety of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will take control, rejecting any concession over how to end the war.
• The Ukrainian President has thus far excluded giving up any land, but has suggested that Ukraine could move its troops to an designated point – but only if Russia does the same.

Russia currently occupies about 75% of the Donetsk region and some 99% of the bordering Luhansk. The areas form the heartland of Donbas.

The earlier US-led 28-point peace plan that was circulated to the media last year was perceived by Ukraine and its EU supporters as being disproportionately favorable in Russia's direction.

This triggered a period of intensive discussions – with Ukraine, the US and European leaders trying to revise the draft.

Recently, Ukraine submitted the US an revised 20-point plan – as well as separate documents describing potential defense assurances and arrangements for Ukraine's rebuilding, the President said.