🔗 Share this article The United Kingdom and France Will Dispatch Forces to Ukraine if a Ceasefire Accord is Reached The UK and France have signed a memorandum of understanding concerning the deployment of armed personnel in Ukraine should a peace deal be struck with Moscow, the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has announced. Following negotiations with Ukraine's allies in the French capital, he said that the allies would "establish defense centers across Ukraine and construct protected installations for military hardware and defense matériel" to prevent any future invasion. The coalition members also proposed that the US would take the lead in monitoring a truce. Russia has on multiple occasions cautioned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "legitimate target", but has so far not issued a statement on this recent announcement. The Situation and Continuing War Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a major offensive of Ukraine in early 2022, and Moscow at this time controls roughly 20% of the country's land. "This represents an essential component of our commitment to be alongside Ukraine for the duration," remarked the British leader. Heads of state and senior officials from the "Allied Coalition" took part in the Paris negotiations. Speaking at a joint press conference, he added: "It creates the pathway for the juridical structure under which allied and coalition forces could function on Ukraine's territory, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and restoring Ukraine's armed forces for the future." The PM went on to say that the UK would take part in any American-headed monitoring of a prospective ceasefire. Protection Pledges and Negotiation Stances Top US negotiator Steve Witkoff stated that "durable safety pledges and robust reconstruction vows are vital to a permanent resolution" in Ukraine – referring to a major condition made by Kyiv. Witkoff noted the partner nations had "mostly completed" their work on agreeing such pledges "so that the citizens of Ukraine know that when this hostilities ends, it ends forever." Donald Trump's son-in-law, US President Donald Trump's special envoy, also was involved in the negotiations. Separately, President Macron Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine's allies had made "major advances" at the talks. He added that "strong" security guarantees for Kyiv had been settled upon in the event of a possible ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a "huge advance" had been made in Paris, but cautioned that he would only consider efforts to be "sufficient" if they resulted in the cessation of the war. Last week, Zelensky said a peace agreement was "mostly finalized". Agreeing on the last 10% would "decide the future of the peace, the future of Ukraine and Europe". Unresolved Issues Land and security guarantees have been at the heart of ongoing disputes for diplomats. Moscow has often said that Ukraine's forces must retreat from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will occupy it, refusing any middle ground over how to conclude the war. Zelensky has to date ruled out surrendering any territory, but has floated the idea that Ukraine could pull back its troops to an mutually accepted point – but only if Russia does the same. Russian forces currently controls approximately 75% of the Donetsk oblast and around 99% of the bordering Luhansk region. The pair of oblasts form the industrial region of the Donbas. The original US-led multi-point peace plan that was extensively reported to the media last year was perceived by Kyiv and its partners in Europe as being strongly biased in Moscow's direction. This led to weeks of high-level diplomacy – with Ukraine, the US and European leaders trying to amend the proposal. Recently, The Ukrainian government submitted the US an updated framework – as well as distinct documents outlining potential security guarantees and plans for Ukraine's rebuilding, Zelensky added.
The UK and France have signed a memorandum of understanding concerning the deployment of armed personnel in Ukraine should a peace deal be struck with Moscow, the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has announced. Following negotiations with Ukraine's allies in the French capital, he said that the allies would "establish defense centers across Ukraine and construct protected installations for military hardware and defense matériel" to prevent any future invasion. The coalition members also proposed that the US would take the lead in monitoring a truce. Russia has on multiple occasions cautioned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "legitimate target", but has so far not issued a statement on this recent announcement. The Situation and Continuing War Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a major offensive of Ukraine in early 2022, and Moscow at this time controls roughly 20% of the country's land. "This represents an essential component of our commitment to be alongside Ukraine for the duration," remarked the British leader. Heads of state and senior officials from the "Allied Coalition" took part in the Paris negotiations. Speaking at a joint press conference, he added: "It creates the pathway for the juridical structure under which allied and coalition forces could function on Ukraine's territory, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and restoring Ukraine's armed forces for the future." The PM went on to say that the UK would take part in any American-headed monitoring of a prospective ceasefire. Protection Pledges and Negotiation Stances Top US negotiator Steve Witkoff stated that "durable safety pledges and robust reconstruction vows are vital to a permanent resolution" in Ukraine – referring to a major condition made by Kyiv. Witkoff noted the partner nations had "mostly completed" their work on agreeing such pledges "so that the citizens of Ukraine know that when this hostilities ends, it ends forever." Donald Trump's son-in-law, US President Donald Trump's special envoy, also was involved in the negotiations. Separately, President Macron Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine's allies had made "major advances" at the talks. He added that "strong" security guarantees for Kyiv had been settled upon in the event of a possible ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a "huge advance" had been made in Paris, but cautioned that he would only consider efforts to be "sufficient" if they resulted in the cessation of the war. Last week, Zelensky said a peace agreement was "mostly finalized". Agreeing on the last 10% would "decide the future of the peace, the future of Ukraine and Europe". Unresolved Issues Land and security guarantees have been at the heart of ongoing disputes for diplomats. Moscow has often said that Ukraine's forces must retreat from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will occupy it, refusing any middle ground over how to conclude the war. Zelensky has to date ruled out surrendering any territory, but has floated the idea that Ukraine could pull back its troops to an mutually accepted point – but only if Russia does the same. Russian forces currently controls approximately 75% of the Donetsk oblast and around 99% of the bordering Luhansk region. The pair of oblasts form the industrial region of the Donbas. The original US-led multi-point peace plan that was extensively reported to the media last year was perceived by Kyiv and its partners in Europe as being strongly biased in Moscow's direction. This led to weeks of high-level diplomacy – with Ukraine, the US and European leaders trying to amend the proposal. Recently, The Ukrainian government submitted the US an updated framework – as well as distinct documents outlining potential security guarantees and plans for Ukraine's rebuilding, Zelensky added.