UK and France Will Dispatch Troops to the Country if a Peace Agreement is Agreed

The UK and France have signed a statement of purpose concerning the stationing of troops in the nation if a peace agreement be concluded with Moscow, the Prime Minister of Britain, Keir Starmer, has stated.

After talks with Kyiv's partners in the French capital, he noted that the two nations would "establish defense centers throughout Ukraine and build secure facilities for arms and military equipment" to deter any future incursion.

The partner countries also proposed that the United States would take the lead in overseeing a truce.

Russia has repeatedly stated that any non-Ukrainian military in Ukraine would be considered a "acceptable aim", but has so far not responded on this latest declaration.

Context and Continuing War

The Kremlin's head Vladimir Putin began a comprehensive attack of Ukraine in early 2022, and Moscow presently occupies approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory.

"This is a vital part of our commitment to be alongside Ukraine for the foreseeable future," commented the UK Prime Minister.

National leaders and top officials from the "Partner Group" were involved in the Paris negotiations.

He stated at a shared media briefing, Starmer added: "It creates the pathway for the legal framework under which allied and coalition forces could function on Ukraine's territory, defending Ukraine's skies and seas, and rebuilding Ukraine's armed forces for the future."

The PM added that Britain would participate in any US-led confirmation of a potential truce.

Security Guarantees and Negotiation Stances

Lead Washington representative Steve Witkoff stated that "durable safety pledges and robust economic promises are critical to a permanent resolution" in Ukraine – referring to a major requirement made by the Ukrainian government.

The negotiator indicated the coalition had "mostly completed" their work on finalizing such pledges "so that the citizens of Ukraine know that when this hostilities ends, it ends permanently."

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

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that Ukraine's partners had made "considerable headway" at the negotiations.

He added that "robust" defense assurances for Ukraine had been settled upon in the case of a potential ceasefire.

Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky commented that a "significant step forward" had been made in the negotiations, but added that he would only consider efforts to be "adequate" if they resulted in the conclusion of the conflict.

Last week, Zelensky indicated a peace agreement was "largely prepared". Settling the outstanding 10% would "determine the fate of the agreement, the future of Ukraine and Europe".

Remaining Challenges

• Sovereign soil and security guarantees have been at the heart of key disagreements for the parties involved.
• The Russian President has often said that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will take control, refusing any middle ground over how to conclude the war.
• Zelensky has to date excluded ceding any territory, but has floated the idea that Ukraine could withdraw its troops to an mutually accepted point – but only if Russia reciprocates.

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

The earlier US-led multi-point proposal that was extensively reported to the media last year was perceived by Kyiv and its EU supporters as being heavily skewed in Russia's favor.

This sparked a period of focused diplomacy – with the involved parties trying to amend the document.

Recently, The Ukrainian government submitted the US an new proposal – as well as separate documents describing prospective defense assurances and arrangements for Ukraine's reconstruction, Zelensky added.