UK and France Plan to Send Troops to the Country if a Peace Deal is Agreed

The London and Paris have formalized a memorandum of understanding concerning the stationing of troops in the nation in the event a peace deal be concluded with Moscow, the British leader, Keir Starmer, has declared.

After negotiations with Ukraine's allies in the French capital, he noted that the allies would "create military hubs in various parts of Ukraine and erect protected facilities for weapons and equipment" to deter any potential incursion.

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

Moscow has repeatedly stated that any external forces in Ukraine would be considered a "legitimate target", but has as yet not issued a statement on this latest announcement.

The Situation and Ongoing Conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin began a major offensive of Ukraine in early 2022, and Russia at this time occupies about 20% of Ukraine's sovereign soil.

"This constitutes a crucial element of our pledge to be alongside Ukraine for the foreseeable future," remarked Starmer.

National leaders and top officials from the "Coalition of the Willing" were involved in the recent discussions.

Speaking at a shared media briefing, the Prime Minister further said: "It establishes the framework for the operational parameters under which allied and coalition forces could operate on Ukrainian soil, securing Ukraine's air and maritime domains, and rebuilding Ukraine's defense capabilities for the future."

The UK prime minister went on to say that Britain would participate in any American-headed monitoring of a prospective ceasefire.

Protection Pledges and Diplomatic Positions

Senior American diplomat Steve Witkoff said that "long-term security guarantees and robust prosperity commitments are vital to a lasting peace" in Ukraine – referring to a key condition made by Ukraine.

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

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

Meanwhile, France's leader Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine's allies had made "significant progress" at the meeting.

He said that "robust" security guarantees for the Ukrainian government had been reached in the event of a possible truce.

Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky commented that a "major development" had been made in the negotiations, but qualified that he would only view efforts to be "enough" if they resulted in the conclusion of the fighting.

Earlier, he said a peace agreement was "mostly finalized". Agreeing on the remaining 10% would "determine the future of the peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe".

Remaining Challenges

• Territory and defense assurances have been at the forefront of key disagreements for the parties involved.
• Moscow has repeatedly warned that Kyiv's military must pull back from the entirety of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will occupy it, dismissing any concession over how to end the war.
• The Ukrainian President has so far ruled out ceding any land, but has proposed that Ukraine could move its forces to an agreed point – but only if Russia does the same.

Moscow currently occupies about 75% of the Donetsk oblast and around 99% of the adjacent Luhansk. The pair of oblasts form the area of Donbas.

The initial US-led comprehensive 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 direction.

This triggered a period of intensive discussions – with Ukraine, the US and European leaders trying to amend the draft.

The previous month, Ukraine presented the US an updated 20-point plan – as well as additional documents detailing potential security guarantees and plans for Ukraine's recovery, Zelensky stated.