Britain and France Plan to Send Troops to Ukraine in the event that a Ceasefire Accord is Finalized

The British and French governments have inked a statement of purpose concerning the deployment of troops in Ukraine if a ceasefire be concluded with Russia, the British leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has stated.

After negotiations with allied nations in the French capital, he said that the two nations would "establish military hubs across Ukraine and erect fortified structures for military hardware and equipment" to prevent any future attack.

The coalition members also proposed that the America would play the primary role in verifying a truce.

Russia has consistently cautioned that any non-Ukrainian military in Ukraine would be considered a "acceptable aim", but has as yet not commented on this recent declaration.

Context and Continuing Hostilities

Russian President 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 be alongside Ukraine for the foreseeable future," stated the British leader.

National leaders and top officials from the "Coalition of the Willing" took part in the Paris negotiations.

Speaking at a combined announcement, Starmer noted: "It creates the pathway for the juridical structure under which allied and coalition forces could function on Ukraine's territory, protecting Ukraine's airspace and waters, and restoring Ukraine's armed forces for the future."

The British leader also stated that Britain would participate in any American-headed monitoring of a potential truce.

Security Guarantees and Diplomatic Positions

Top US negotiator Steve Witkoff stated that "long-term safety pledges and strong prosperity commitments are vital to a lasting peace" in Ukraine – referring to a major condition made by Kyiv.

Witkoff said the allies had "substantially agreed on" their work on establishing such guarantees "so that the people of Ukraine know that when this hostilities ends, it ends for good."

The former US envoy, former American President Donald Trump's advisor, also was involved in the negotiations.

At the same time, France's leader Emmanuel Macron stated that Ukraine's partners had made "major progress" at the negotiations.

He added that "robust" security guarantees for Ukraine had been settled upon in the event of a possible ceasefire.

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that a "significant advance" had been made in Paris, but qualified that he would only deem efforts to be "sufficient" if they resulted in the cessation of the fighting.

Recently, he said a peace agreement was "largely prepared". Agreeing on the last 10% would "determine the future of peace, the future of Ukraine and Europe".

Unresolved Issues

• Sovereign soil and security guarantees have been at the forefront of key disagreements for the parties involved.
• Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will seize it, rejecting any middle ground over how to finish the war.
• The Ukrainian President has thus far ruled out giving up any land, but has suggested that Ukraine could withdraw its forces to an agreed point – but only if Russia does the same.

Russian forces currently occupies approximately 75% of the Donetsk oblast and around 99% of the adjacent Luhansk region. The two regions form the heartland of the Donbas.

The initial US-led multi-point proposal that was circulated to the media last year was seen by Kyiv and its EU supporters as being strongly biased in Russia's favor.

This led to weeks of high-level discussions – with Ukraine, the US and European leaders trying to amend the document.

Recently, Kyiv submitted the US an updated 20-point plan – as well as additional documents outlining potential security guarantees and arrangements for Ukraine's rebuilding, he said.