UK and France Will Dispatch Forces to the Country if a Peace Agreement is Reached

The British and French governments have signed a declaration of intent concerning the stationing of armed personnel in the nation should a peace deal be struck with Moscow, the Prime Minister of Britain, Starmer, has declared.

After talks with Kyiv's partners in the French capital, he said that the allies would "set up defense centers throughout Ukraine and construct protected structures for weapons and equipment" to discourage any future invasion.

The coalition members also suggested that the United States would assume leadership in verifying a truce.

Russia has consistently cautioned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "legitimate target", but has so far not responded on this new declaration.

The Situation and Ongoing Conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow presently occupies roughly 20% of Ukrainian territory.

"This constitutes a crucial element of our vow to be alongside Ukraine for the long-term," stated the British leader.

Heads of state and high-ranking officials from the "Coalition of the Willing" were involved in Tuesday's talks.

He stated at a joint press conference, he noted: "It creates the pathway for the juridical structure under which British, French, and partner forces could function on Ukraine's territory, defending Ukraine's air and maritime domains, and regenerating Ukraine's armed forces for the time to come."

The PM added that Britain would be involved in any American-headed confirmation of a prospective truce.

Protection Pledges and Diplomatic Positions

Top US negotiator Steve Witkoff stated that "durable security guarantees and substantial prosperity commitments are vital to a lasting peace" in Ukraine – alluding to a key requirement made by the Ukrainian government.

He noted the coalition had "mostly completed" their work on establishing such guarantees "so that the Ukrainian people know that when this hostilities ends, it ends for good."

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

Meanwhile, France's leader Emmanuel Macron declared that Ukraine's supporters had made "significant headway" at the negotiations.

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

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

Earlier, Zelensky said a peace agreement was "largely prepared". Agreeing on the outstanding 10% would "shape the future of the agreement, the future of Ukraine and Europe".

Remaining Challenges

• Land and defense assurances have been at the heart of unresolved issues for negotiators.
• Moscow has consistently stated that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will occupy it, refusing any middle ground over how to end the war.
• Kyiv has so far excluded giving up any territory, but has proposed that Ukraine could move its forces to an mutually accepted point – but only if Russia follows suit.

Moscow currently occupies about 75% of the Donetsk oblast and some 99% of the adjacent Luhansk. The pair of oblasts form the industrial region of Donbas.

The original US-led multi-point peace plan that was widely leaked to the media last year was viewed by Kyiv and its European allies as being heavily skewed in Russia's direction.

This sparked a period of high-level diplomacy – with Ukraine, the US and European leaders trying to adjust the proposal.

Recently, Kyiv presented the US an updated 20-point plan – as well as separate documents outlining prospective security guarantees and arrangements for Ukraine's recovery, he said.