The United Kingdom and France Plan to Send Military Personnel to Ukraine if a Ceasefire Accord is Reached

The UK and France have signed a statement of purpose concerning the stationing of military forces in the nation should a ceasefire be made with Moscow, the Prime Minister of Britain, Keir Starmer, has stated.

After negotiations with Ukraine's allies in the French capital, he said that the two nations would "establish defense centers across Ukraine and build fortified structures for weapons and military equipment" to prevent any future attack.

The allied nations also suggested that the United States would assume leadership in monitoring a halt in hostilities.

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

The Situation and Ongoing Hostilities

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, and Moscow currently controls approximately 20% of Ukraine's sovereign soil.

"This represents an essential component of our commitment to stand with Ukraine for the duration," stated the UK Prime Minister.

National leaders and senior officials from the "Coalition of the Willing" participated in Tuesday's talks.

Addressing reporters at a shared media briefing, he added: "It paves the way for the juridical structure under which British, French, and partner forces could function on Ukrainian soil, defending Ukraine's air and maritime domains, and restoring Ukraine's military for the future."

The PM added that the UK would be involved in any Washington-directed verification of a prospective truce.

Protection Pledges and Diplomatic Positions

Senior US negotiator Steve Witkoff stated that "durable safety pledges and strong prosperity commitments are essential to a permanent resolution" in Ukraine – mentioning a central requirement made by the Ukrainian government.

Witkoff said the partner nations had "substantially agreed on" their work on agreeing such guarantees "so that the Ukrainian people know that when this conflict ends, it ends forever."

Jared Kushner, ex-President Donald Trump's representative, also participated in the negotiations.

Meanwhile, France's leader Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine's partners had made "significant headway" at the negotiations.

He noted that "robust" safety pledges for the Ukrainian government had been settled upon in the event of a prospective ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that a "major advance" had been made in the talks, but added that he would only consider efforts to be "enough" if they culminated in the cessation of the war.

Last week, he said a peace deal was "largely prepared". Finalizing the outstanding 10% would "decide the fate of the peace, the future of Ukraine and Europe".

Unresolved Issues

• Territory and defense assurances have been at the center of key disagreements for diplomats.
• Moscow has repeatedly warned that Ukraine's forces must withdraw from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will take control, dismissing any middle ground over how to finish the war.
• The Ukrainian President has to date ruled out surrendering any land, but has suggested that Ukraine could pull back its forces to an mutually accepted point – but only if Russia does the same.

Russian forces currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region and around 99% of the adjacent Luhansk. The pair of oblasts form the heartland of Donbas.

The earlier US-led 28-point peace plan that was circulated to the media last year was viewed by Ukraine and its EU supporters as being heavily skewed in Moscow's direction.

This sparked a period of focused negotiations – with all sides trying to revise the draft.

Last month, Kyiv submitted the US an updated framework – as well as separate documents outlining prospective security guarantees and arrangements for Ukraine's recovery, Zelensky stated.