UK and France Will Dispatch Forces to Ukraine should a Peace Deal is Finalized

The British and French governments have signed a memorandum of understanding concerning the positioning of troops in Ukraine in the event a peace deal be concluded with Moscow, the Prime Minister of Britain, Sir Keir Starmer, has stated.

Following discussions with Ukraine's allies in Paris, he said that the allies would "establish military hubs across Ukraine and build protected structures for weapons and defense matériel" to deter any potential invasion.

The partner countries also suggested that the US would play the primary role in verifying a truce.

The Kremlin has consistently cautioned that any non-Ukrainian military in Ukraine would be considered a "legitimate target", but has not yet commented on this latest development.

Context and Ongoing Hostilities

The Kremlin's head Vladimir Putin began a major offensive of Ukraine in early 2022, and Russia currently controls about 20% of the country's land.

"This is a vital part of our commitment to support Ukraine for the duration," stated the UK Prime Minister.

National leaders and senior officials from the "Partner Group" were involved in the Paris negotiations.

Speaking at a combined announcement, he further said: "It creates the pathway for the juridical structure under which allied and coalition forces could work on the ground in Ukraine, protecting Ukraine's skies and seas, and rebuilding Ukraine's armed forces for the time to come."

The PM went on to say that the UK would be involved in any Washington-directed monitoring of a potential truce.

Security Guarantees and Negotiation Stances

Top US negotiator Steve Witkoff stated that "durable defense assurances and strong prosperity commitments are vital to a lasting peace" in Ukraine – alluding to a major condition made by Kyiv.

The negotiator said the partner nations had "mostly completed" their work on establishing such pledges "to ensure the citizens of Ukraine know that when this conflict ends, it ends permanently."

Jared Kushner, former American President Donald Trump's advisor, also took part in the discussions.

At the same time, France's leader Emmanuel Macron declared that Ukraine's supporters had made "considerable progress" at the talks.

He noted that "comprehensive" security guarantees for Kyiv had been settled upon in the case of a prospective truce.

President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that a "major step forward" had been made in the talks, but added that he would only view efforts to be "adequate" if they led to the end of the conflict.

Earlier, Zelensky indicated a settlement was "90% ready". Agreeing on the remaining 10% would "determine the future of peace, the future of Ukraine and Europe".

Outstanding Matters

• Sovereign soil and security guarantees have been at the center of key disagreements for the parties involved.
• The Russian President has often said that Ukrainian troops must pull back from the entirety of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will occupy it, refusing any compromise over how to conclude the war.
• Zelensky has to date rejected ceding any territory, but has suggested that Ukraine could withdraw its forces to an mutually accepted point – but only if Russia follows suit.

Russian forces presently controls about 75% of the Donetsk oblast and some 99% of the adjacent Luhansk region. The pair of oblasts form the industrial region of Donbas.

The earlier US-led multi-point proposal that was widely leaked to the media last year was seen by Kyiv and its European allies as being strongly biased in Moscow's direction.

This led to weeks of intensive discussions – with the involved parties trying to adjust the draft.

The previous month, The Ukrainian government submitted the US an new 20-point plan – as well as distinct documents describing possible security guarantees and provisions for Ukraine's recovery, Zelensky stated.