Britain and France to Deploy Troops to Ukraine in the event that a Peace Deal is Finalized

The British and French governments have formalized a statement of purpose concerning the positioning of troops in the nation in the event a peace deal be struck with Russia, the Prime Minister of Britain, Keir Starmer, has stated.

Following discussions with Kyiv's partners in Paris, he said that the allies would "establish military hubs across Ukraine and erect secure facilities for arms and equipment" to deter any subsequent incursion.

The coalition members also suggested that the US would play the primary role in verifying a halt in hostilities.

Moscow has repeatedly cautioned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "valid objective", but has not yet responded on this new development.

The Situation and Ongoing Conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a major offensive of Ukraine in February 2022, and Russian forces currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.

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

Heads of state and top officials from the "Partner Group" were involved in the Paris negotiations.

Addressing reporters at a shared media briefing, Starmer further said: "It paves the way for the operational parameters under which British, French, and partner forces could work on Ukraine's territory, defending Ukraine's airspace and waters, and rebuilding Ukraine's military for the years ahead."

The PM added that Britain would participate in any American-headed verification of a prospective ceasefire.

Defense Assurances and Negotiation Stances

Top American diplomat Steve Witkoff said that "lasting defense assurances and substantial economic promises are vital to a lasting peace" in Ukraine – alluding to a major condition made by the Ukrainian government.

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

The former US envoy, ex-President Donald Trump's special envoy, also participated in the talks.

At the same time, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that Ukraine's allies had made "major advances" at the negotiations.

He said that "comprehensive" safety pledges for the Ukrainian government had been reached in the event of a possible truce.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a "significant development" had been made in the talks, but cautioned that he would only consider efforts to be "sufficient" if they led to the end of the conflict.

Earlier, the Ukrainian leader said a settlement was "90% ready". Agreeing on the outstanding 10% would "shape the future of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe".

Outstanding Matters

• Land and security guarantees have been at the center of key disagreements for the parties involved.
• Moscow has consistently stated that Kyiv's military must withdraw from the entirety of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will occupy it, rejecting any concession over how to end the war.
• Kyiv has so far excluded ceding any territory, but has proposed that Ukraine could pull back its forces to an designated point – but only if Russia follows suit.

Russia presently controls approximately 75% of the Donetsk region and some 99% of the bordering Luhansk. The two regions form the heartland of the Donbas.

The initial US-led 28-point framework that was circulated to the media last year was viewed by Ukraine and its partners in Europe as being strongly biased in Moscow's favor.

This sparked a period of focused negotiations – with the involved parties trying to revise the proposal.

The previous month, The Ukrainian government presented the US an updated framework – as well as separate documents describing prospective security guarantees and arrangements for Ukraine's reconstruction, Zelensky said.