The United Kingdom and France Will Dispatch Troops to Ukraine should a Ceasefire Accord is Reached

The British and French governments have inked a memorandum of understanding concerning the stationing of troops in Ukraine if a ceasefire be concluded with Moscow, the British leader, Starmer, has declared.

After talks with Kyiv's partners in Paris, he indicated that the allies would "establish defense centers in various parts of Ukraine and build protected installations for weapons and equipment" to discourage any potential incursion.

The allied nations also suggested that the United States would take the lead in verifying a halt in hostilities.

The Kremlin has consistently cautioned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "valid objective", but has so far not issued a statement on this recent development.

The Situation and Ongoing Hostilities

The Kremlin's head Vladimir Putin began a comprehensive attack of Ukraine in early 2022, and Moscow presently controls approximately 20% of the country's land.

"This constitutes a crucial element of our vow to support Ukraine for the duration," commented the British leader.

Heads of state and high-ranking officials from the "Partner Group" took part in the Paris negotiations.

Addressing reporters at a shared media briefing, he added: "It creates the pathway for the operational parameters under which British, French, and partner forces could operate on Ukraine's territory, defending Ukraine's air and maritime domains, and regenerating Ukraine's armed forces for the years ahead."

The British leader went on to say that Britain would take part in any Washington-directed monitoring of a prospective cessation of hostilities.

Security Guarantees and Negotiation Stances

Senior Washington representative Steve Witkoff stated that "durable defense assurances and robust prosperity commitments are essential to a enduring ceasefire" in Ukraine – referring to a major demand made by the Ukrainian government.

Witkoff said the partner nations had "substantially agreed on" their work on establishing such pledges "to ensure the citizens of Ukraine know that when this conflict ends, it ends forever."

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

At the same time, France's leader Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine's partners had made "significant headway" at the negotiations.

He noted that "strong" defense assurances for the Ukrainian government had been reached in the case of a potential ceasefire.

Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky stated that a "major step forward" had been made in Paris, but added that he would only deem efforts to be "adequate" if they resulted in the cessation of the war.

Earlier, he suggested a peace deal was "90% ready". Settling the outstanding 10% would "determine the fate of the agreement, the destiny of Ukraine and Europe".

Outstanding Matters

• Territory and security guarantees have been at the center of unresolved issues for diplomats.
• Putin has repeatedly warned that Kyiv's military must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will take control, refusing any middle ground over how to conclude the war.
• Kyiv has so far rejected giving up any territory, but has floated the idea that Ukraine could withdraw its forces to an designated point – but only if Russia does the same.

Moscow presently occupies approximately 75% of the Donetsk region and around 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The pair of oblasts form the industrial region of the Donbas.

The original US-led comprehensive proposal that was circulated to the media last year was perceived by Kyiv and its partners in Europe as being strongly biased in Moscow's favor.

This sparked weeks of intensive negotiations – with all sides trying to amend the proposal.

Last month, Kyiv submitted the US an updated proposal – as well as additional documents outlining possible security guarantees and provisions for Ukraine's reconstruction, Zelensky said.