Britain and France Will Dispatch Forces to the Country if a Peace Deal is Reached

The British and French governments have inked a statement of purpose concerning the positioning of military forces in Ukraine in the event a ceasefire be struck with Russia, the Prime Minister of Britain, Keir Starmer, has declared.

After negotiations with allied nations in the French capital, he indicated that the UK and France would "set up defense centers in various parts of Ukraine and erect fortified facilities for military hardware and defense matériel" to discourage any future attack.

The partner countries also proposed that the US would play the primary role in verifying a ceasefire.

Russia has consistently stated that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "acceptable aim", but has not yet responded on this latest announcement.

The Situation and Continuing War

Moscow's leader Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Russia currently occupies about 20% of the country's land.

"This is a vital part of our commitment to stand with Ukraine for the foreseeable future," stated the British leader.

Heads of state and top officials from the "Coalition of the Willing" took part in the recent discussions.

He stated at a combined announcement, the Prime Minister noted: "It establishes the framework for the juridical structure under which allied and coalition forces could function on Ukraine's territory, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and rebuilding Ukraine's armed forces for the time to come."

The UK prime minister went on to say that the UK would participate in any US-led monitoring of a possible cessation of hostilities.

Security Guarantees and Diplomatic Positions

Lead US negotiator Steve Witkoff remarked that "long-term defense assurances and substantial reconstruction vows are essential to a lasting peace" in Ukraine – referring to a major condition made by Ukraine.

The negotiator indicated the partner nations had "mostly completed" their work on establishing such assurances "so that the citizens of Ukraine know that when this hostilities ends, it ends for good."

Donald Trump's son-in-law, ex-President Donald Trump's advisor, also participated in the discussions.

At the same time, France's leader Emmanuel Macron declared that Ukraine's allies had made "major progress" at the meeting.

He said that "robust" security guarantees for the Ukrainian government had been agreed in the case of a possible ceasefire.

Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky commented that a "huge development" had been made in the negotiations, but cautioned that he would only view efforts to be "enough" if they led to the cessation of the war.

Earlier, Zelensky suggested a settlement was "mostly finalized". Finalizing the last 10% would "shape the future of the peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe".

Remaining Challenges

• Sovereign soil and security guarantees have been at the heart of ongoing disputes for negotiators.
• Moscow has consistently stated that Kyiv's military must withdraw from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will occupy it, dismissing any concession over how to end the war.
• The Ukrainian President has thus far excluded ceding any territory, but has proposed that Ukraine could withdraw its troops to an agreed point – but only if Russia follows suit.

Moscow presently occupies approximately 75% of the Donetsk oblast and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The two regions form the industrial region of Donbas.

The original US-led multi-point proposal that was widely leaked to the media last year was perceived by Ukraine and its EU supporters as being heavily skewed in Russia's favor.

This led to a period of high-level negotiations – with Ukraine, the US and European leaders trying to revise the document.

Last month, Kyiv submitted the US an new framework – as well as separate documents describing potential defense assurances and provisions for Ukraine's rebuilding, Zelensky stated.