The United Kingdom and France Will Dispatch Troops to the Country if a Peace Agreement is Agreed

The British and French governments have formalized a memorandum of understanding concerning the stationing of military forces in the nation if a peace agreement be made with Moscow, the UK Prime Minister, Starmer, has declared.

Following negotiations with Ukraine's allies in Paris, he noted that the two nations would "set up military hubs across Ukraine and construct protected installations for arms and defense matériel" to prevent any subsequent invasion.

The coalition members also proposed that the United States would assume leadership in monitoring a ceasefire.

Moscow has consistently cautioned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "legitimate target", but has not yet commented on this latest announcement.

Context and Ongoing Conflict

Moscow's leader Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, and Moscow currently holds about 20% of the country's land.

"This constitutes a crucial element of our vow to support Ukraine for the long-term," commented the British leader.

Heads of state and senior officials from the "Coalition of the Willing" took part in the recent discussions.

Speaking at a combined announcement, the Prime Minister noted: "It creates the pathway for the operational parameters under which British, French, and partner forces could work on Ukrainian soil, protecting Ukraine's airspace and waters, and regenerating Ukraine's armed forces for the years ahead."

The UK prime minister also stated that London would participate in any Washington-directed verification of a possible ceasefire.

Security Guarantees and Negotiation Stances

Top American diplomat Steve Witkoff stated that "lasting defense assurances and substantial prosperity commitments are vital to a permanent resolution" in Ukraine – alluding to a major requirement made by the Ukrainian government.

He indicated the allies had "substantially agreed on" their work on establishing such assurances "in order that the people of Ukraine know that when this war ends, it ends for good."

Donald Trump's son-in-law, US President Donald Trump's representative, also took part in the talks.

At the same time, France's leader Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine's allies had made "major headway" at the negotiations.

He said that "robust" defense assurances for Ukraine had been agreed in the instance of a potential ceasefire.

Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky said that a "huge development" had been made in Paris, but qualified that he would only consider efforts to be "enough" if they resulted in the end of the fighting.

Last week, Zelensky said a settlement was "mostly finalized". Agreeing on the last 10% would "determine the future of the peace, the destiny of Ukraine and Europe".

Remaining Challenges

• Land and security guarantees have been at the forefront of key disagreements for the parties involved.
• The Russian President has repeatedly warned that Kyiv's military must pull back from the entirety of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will occupy it, dismissing any compromise over how to conclude the war.
• The Ukrainian President has to date rejected ceding any land, but has proposed that Ukraine could pull back its forces to an mutually accepted point – but only if Russia does the same.

Moscow currently holds about 75% of the Donetsk oblast and some 99% of the bordering Luhansk region. The areas form the area of the Donbas.

The original US-led multi-point framework that was extensively reported to the media last year was perceived by Ukraine and its partners in Europe as being heavily skewed in Moscow's direction.

This led to weeks of focused discussions – with Ukraine, the US and European leaders trying to amend the proposal.

The previous month, The Ukrainian government sent the US an new framework – as well as additional documents describing prospective defense assurances and arrangements for Ukraine's rebuilding, he said.