UK and France Plan to Send Forces to the Country if a Ceasefire Accord is Finalized

The London and Paris have inked a statement of purpose concerning the positioning of military forces in Ukraine if a ceasefire be struck with Russia, the Prime Minister of Britain, Starmer, has declared.

Following discussions with Ukraine's allies in the French capital, he said that the two nations would "set up operational bases in various parts of Ukraine and erect secure structures for military hardware and defense matériel" to deter any future invasion.

The allied nations also proposed that the America would take the lead in overseeing a ceasefire.

The Kremlin has consistently stated that any non-Ukrainian military in Ukraine would be considered a "valid objective", but has not yet responded on this latest announcement.

Background and Ongoing Conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Russia presently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.

"This represents an essential component of our vow to support Ukraine for the long-term," remarked the British leader.

National leaders and top officials from the "Partner Group" participated in Tuesday's talks.

He stated at a shared media briefing, he added: "It establishes the framework for the juridical structure under which British, French, and partner forces could work on Ukrainian soil, protecting Ukraine's airspace and waters, and rebuilding Ukraine's defense capabilities for the years ahead."

The British leader went on to say that London would take part in any US-led monitoring of a possible truce.

Protection Pledges and Diplomatic Positions

Top Washington representative Steve Witkoff said that "long-term security guarantees and strong prosperity commitments are vital to a lasting peace" in Ukraine – mentioning a major demand made by Kyiv.

Witkoff noted the partner nations had "largely finished" their work on agreeing such guarantees "so that the people of Ukraine know that when this hostilities ends, it ends forever."

Jared Kushner, ex-President Donald Trump's special envoy, also was involved in the negotiations.

Separately, France's leader Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine's supporters had made "significant progress" at the talks.

He said that "comprehensive" safety pledges for Kyiv had been agreed in the case of a prospective truce.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a "huge advance" had been made in Paris, but qualified that he would only consider efforts to be "sufficient" if they resulted in the cessation of the fighting.

Earlier, Zelensky suggested a peace agreement was "mostly finalized". Agreeing on the remaining 10% would "decide the fate of the agreement, the future of Ukraine and Europe".

Outstanding Matters

• Land and security guarantees have been at the center of unresolved issues for negotiators.
• Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukraine's forces must withdraw from the entirety of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will occupy it, rejecting any middle ground over how to conclude the war.
• Kyiv has thus far excluded surrendering any land, but has proposed that Ukraine could withdraw its forces to an agreed point – but only if Russia reciprocates.

Russian forces presently controls approximately 75% of the Donetsk region and around 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk region. The pair of oblasts form the heartland of the Donbas.

The original US-led comprehensive framework that was extensively reported to the media last year was perceived by Kyiv and its EU supporters as being strongly biased in Moscow's favor.

This sparked a period of high-level discussions – with Ukraine, the US and European leaders trying to revise the document.

Recently, Kyiv submitted the US an revised framework – as well as separate documents describing possible security guarantees and plans for Ukraine's rebuilding, Zelensky added.