The United Kingdom and France to Deploy Troops to Ukraine should a Peace Agreement is Agreed

The British and French governments have formalized a memorandum of understanding concerning the positioning of troops in the nation in the event a peace deal be concluded with Russia, the British leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has announced.

Subsequent to talks with Kyiv's partners in the French capital, he said that the UK and France would "create operational bases throughout Ukraine and erect protected installations for weapons and defense matériel" to deter any potential incursion.

The coalition members also proposed that the US would play the primary role in overseeing a truce.

Moscow has on multiple occasions stated that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "valid objective", but has so far not commented on this latest announcement.

Background and Ongoing Conflict

The Kremlin's head Vladimir Putin launched a comprehensive attack of Ukraine in February 2022, and Russian forces at this time controls approximately 20% of Ukraine's sovereign soil.

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

Top officials and senior officials from the "Coalition of the Willing" were involved in the Paris negotiations.

Addressing reporters at a joint press conference, he added: "It establishes the framework for the legal framework under which allied and coalition forces could work on Ukrainian soil, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and regenerating Ukraine's armed forces for the time to come."

The UK prime minister went on to say that the UK would take part in any American-headed verification of a potential truce.

Security Guarantees and Negotiation Stances

Top US negotiator Steve Witkoff remarked that "lasting safety pledges and robust prosperity commitments are vital to a lasting peace" in Ukraine – mentioning a major condition made by Kyiv.

Witkoff said the partner nations had "largely finished" their work on agreeing such pledges "so that the Ukrainian people know that when this war ends, it ends for good."

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

Separately, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that Ukraine's allies had made "significant headway" at the meeting.

He said that "strong" safety pledges for Kyiv had been settled upon in the case of a prospective ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a "major development" had been made in the talks, but qualified that he would only deem efforts to be "sufficient" if they culminated in the conclusion of the war.

Earlier, the Ukrainian leader suggested a peace deal was "mostly finalized". Finalizing the outstanding 10% would "shape the fate of the agreement, the fate of Ukraine and Europe".

Outstanding Matters

• Territory and defense assurances have been at the center of key disagreements for diplomats.
• Moscow has consistently stated that Kyiv's military must withdraw from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will take control, refusing any concession over how to end the war.
• Kyiv has to date excluded ceding any land, but has suggested that Ukraine could pull back its troops to an mutually accepted point – but only if Russia follows suit.

Russia presently controls approximately 75% of the Donetsk oblast and around 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk region. The areas form the industrial region of the Donbas.

The earlier US-led 28-point peace plan that was extensively reported to the media last year was seen by Kyiv and its partners in Europe as being heavily skewed in Russia's favor.

This triggered weeks of intensive discussions – with all sides trying to adjust the document.

The previous month, Kyiv submitted the US an new framework – as well as separate documents outlining prospective defense assurances and plans for Ukraine's rebuilding, the President said.