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

The London and Paris have formalized a memorandum of understanding concerning the stationing of troops in the nation if a peace agreement be made with Russia, the Prime Minister of Britain, Sir Keir Starmer, has stated.

Following talks with Kyiv's partners in the French capital, he noted that the UK and France would "set up defense centers across Ukraine and construct protected installations for arms and equipment" to deter any future invasion.

The coalition members also put forward that the America would take the lead in verifying a ceasefire.

The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "valid objective", but has as yet not responded on this latest announcement.

Background and Ongoing War

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, and Russian forces presently controls about 20% of Ukraine's sovereign soil.

"This is a vital part of our vow to stand with Ukraine for the long-term," commented the British leader.

Heads of state and high-ranking officials from the "Partner Group" were involved in Tuesday's talks.

Speaking at a joint press conference, he further said: "It paves the way for the juridical structure under which British, French, and partner forces could function on Ukraine's territory, securing Ukraine's air and maritime domains, and rebuilding Ukraine's armed forces for the time to come."

The UK prime minister went on to say that London would take part in any Washington-directed verification of a possible cessation of hostilities.

Security Guarantees and Diplomatic Positions

Lead US negotiator Steve Witkoff remarked that "durable defense assurances and strong prosperity commitments are critical to a lasting peace" in Ukraine – referring to a major requirement made by Ukraine.

Witkoff noted the allies had "substantially agreed on" their work on agreeing such guarantees "in order that the people of Ukraine know that when this war ends, it ends forever."

The former US envoy, US President Donald Trump's representative, also was involved in the discussions.

At the same time, France's leader Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine's partners had made "major advances" at the talks.

He said that "robust" safety pledges for Kyiv had been settled upon in the event of a prospective truce.

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that a "huge development" had been made in Paris, but added that he would only deem efforts to be "sufficient" if they led to the conclusion of the conflict.

Earlier, the Ukrainian leader indicated a peace agreement was "largely prepared". Finalizing the outstanding 10% would "shape the fate of the agreement, the destiny of Ukraine and Europe".

Unresolved Issues

• Territory and defense assurances have been at the heart of unresolved issues for the parties involved.
• Putin has often said that Kyiv's military must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will seize it, dismissing any middle ground over how to end the war.
• Zelensky has so far ruled out ceding any land, but has suggested that Ukraine could move its forces to an agreed point – but only if Russia does the same.

Russian forces currently occupies approximately 75% of the Donetsk oblast and around 99% of the adjacent Luhansk. The pair of oblasts form the industrial region of the Donbas.

The original US-led multi-point framework that was widely leaked to the media last year was perceived by Kyiv and its partners in Europe as being heavily skewed in Russia's favor.

This triggered weeks of high-level diplomacy – with Ukraine, the US and European leaders trying to amend the draft.

The previous month, Ukraine presented the US an updated framework – as well as distinct documents outlining prospective defense assurances and plans for Ukraine's reconstruction, he added.