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

The UK and France have formalized a statement of purpose concerning the stationing of military forces in the nation should a peace agreement be struck with Moscow, the Prime Minister of Britain, Sir Keir Starmer, has declared.

Subsequent to talks with Ukraine's allies in the French capital, he said that the allies would "establish defense centers throughout Ukraine and build secure structures for weapons and equipment" to prevent any future attack.

The coalition members also suggested that the America would take the lead in overseeing a halt in hostilities.

Russia has consistently stated that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "acceptable aim", but has not yet issued a statement on this recent development.

Context and Ongoing Conflict

The Kremlin's head Vladimir Putin began a comprehensive attack of Ukraine in early 2022, and Moscow at this time controls roughly 20% of Ukrainian territory.

"This represents an essential component of our commitment to support Ukraine for the duration," remarked the British leader.

National leaders and senior officials from the "Allied Coalition" were involved in the Paris negotiations.

Speaking at a combined announcement, the Prime Minister further said: "It paves the way for the legal framework under which allied and coalition forces could work on the ground in Ukraine, securing Ukraine's air and maritime domains, and restoring Ukraine's defense capabilities for the time to come."

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

Protection Pledges and Negotiation Stances

Lead US negotiator Steve Witkoff stated that "durable defense assurances and substantial economic promises are vital to a lasting peace" in Ukraine – alluding to a key condition made by Kyiv.

Witkoff indicated the allies had "substantially agreed on" their work on establishing such assurances "so that the Ukrainian people know that when this hostilities ends, it ends permanently."

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

Separately, President Macron Emmanuel Macron stated that Ukraine's supporters had made "considerable advances" at the negotiations.

He said that "strong" safety pledges for Ukraine had been reached in the event of a prospective truce.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that a "major step forward" had been made in Paris, but qualified that he would only deem efforts to be "adequate" if they led to the cessation of the conflict.

Last week, Zelensky indicated a peace deal was "largely prepared". Agreeing on the last 10% would "shape the fate of the agreement, the fate of Ukraine and Europe".

Remaining Challenges

• Sovereign soil and defense assurances have been at the forefront of key disagreements for the parties involved.
• Putin has often said that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the entirety of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will take control, dismissing any concession over how to end the war.
• The Ukrainian President has to date ruled out ceding any territory, but has floated the idea that Ukraine could pull back its forces to an agreed point – but only if Russia follows suit.

Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk oblast and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk region. The two regions form the heartland of Donbas.

The initial US-led multi-point peace plan that was extensively reported to the media last year was seen by Kyiv and its European allies as being heavily skewed in Russia's direction.

This led to weeks of focused negotiations – with Ukraine, the US and European leaders trying to adjust the document.

The previous month, The Ukrainian government presented the US an updated proposal – as well as separate documents describing possible defense assurances and plans for Ukraine's recovery, Zelensky added.