Britain and France Plan to Send Military Personnel to the Country in the event that a Ceasefire Accord is Reached

The British and French governments have inked a declaration of intent concerning the stationing of troops in Ukraine in the event a ceasefire be struck with Russia, the UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has announced.

Following discussions with Kyiv's partners in the French capital, he indicated that the UK and France would "create operational bases in various parts of Ukraine and construct secure structures for weapons and military equipment" to deter any future incursion.

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

The Kremlin has repeatedly warned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "legitimate target", but has so far not responded on this recent announcement.

Context and Continuing Hostilities

The Kremlin's head Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukraine's sovereign soil.

"This represents an essential component of our vow to be alongside Ukraine for the foreseeable future," remarked the British leader.

Heads of state and top officials from the "Coalition of the Willing" were involved in the recent discussions.

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 function on Ukraine's territory, protecting Ukraine's airspace and waters, and restoring Ukraine's defense capabilities for the future."

The British leader also stated that Britain would be involved in any American-headed verification of a potential cessation of hostilities.

Defense Assurances and Negotiation Stances

Lead American diplomat Steve Witkoff stated that "lasting safety pledges and substantial economic promises are vital to a lasting peace" in Ukraine – referring to a key demand made by Ukraine.

The negotiator indicated the coalition had "mostly completed" their work on agreeing such pledges "so that the citizens of Ukraine know that when this conflict ends, it ends forever."

Donald Trump's son-in-law, US President Donald Trump's advisor, also was involved in the talks.

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

He noted that "strong" defense assurances for the Ukrainian government had been settled upon in the event of a prospective ceasefire.

Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky stated that a "significant advance" had been made in the negotiations, but qualified that he would only consider efforts to be "enough" if they resulted in the cessation of the war.

Earlier, Zelensky suggested a settlement was "largely prepared". Finalizing the outstanding 10% would "shape the future of the peace, the destiny of Ukraine and Europe".

Outstanding Matters

• Territory and security guarantees have been at the center of unresolved issues for negotiators.
• The Russian President has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops must pull back from the entirety of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will seize it, refusing any middle ground over how to end the war.
• The Ukrainian President has to date ruled out giving up any land, but has suggested that Ukraine could pull back its forces to an designated point – but only if Russia reciprocates.

Moscow presently occupies about 75% of the Donetsk oblast and some 99% of the bordering Luhansk. The two regions form the area of the Donbas.

The original US-led multi-point peace plan that was extensively reported to the media last year was viewed by Kyiv and its EU supporters as being disproportionately favorable in Moscow's direction.

This sparked a period of intensive negotiations – with all sides trying to adjust the document.

Last month, Ukraine presented the US an new proposal – as well as separate documents outlining prospective security guarantees and provisions for Ukraine's recovery, Zelensky added.