UK and France Plan to Send Forces to Ukraine if a Ceasefire Accord is Reached

The London and Paris have inked a memorandum of understanding concerning the deployment of troops in Ukraine in the event a peace agreement be struck with Moscow, the UK Prime Minister, Starmer, has declared.

Following negotiations with allied nations in the French capital, he said that the allies would "create operational bases in various parts of Ukraine and build secure structures for military hardware and defense matériel" to discourage any subsequent incursion.

The coalition members also put forward that the America would take the lead in overseeing a truce.

Moscow has on multiple occasions warned that any external forces in Ukraine would be considered a "acceptable aim", but has as yet not responded on this latest announcement.

Context and Continuing Hostilities

The Kremlin's head Vladimir Putin began a comprehensive attack of Ukraine in early 2022, and Moscow at this time controls roughly 20% of Ukraine's sovereign soil.

"This is a vital part of our commitment to support Ukraine for the duration," stated the UK Prime Minister.

Heads of state and top officials from the "Partner Group" participated in the Paris negotiations.

He stated at a combined announcement, Starmer further said: "It creates the pathway for the juridical structure under which allied and coalition forces could operate on the ground in Ukraine, defending Ukraine's airspace and waters, and regenerating Ukraine's armed forces for the time to come."

The PM added that the UK would take part in any US-led monitoring of a potential ceasefire.

Defense Assurances and Negotiation Stances

Lead US negotiator Steve Witkoff stated that "long-term security guarantees and robust economic promises are essential to a lasting peace" in Ukraine – referring to a major requirement made by the Ukrainian government.

The negotiator indicated the allies had "largely finished" their work on agreeing such assurances "in order that the people of Ukraine know that when this war ends, it ends for good."

Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's special envoy, also took part in the talks.

At the same time, France's leader Emmanuel Macron declared that Ukraine's partners had made "considerable advances" at the negotiations.

He noted that "strong" security guarantees for Kyiv had been agreed in the event of a prospective truce.

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

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

Unresolved Issues

• Sovereign soil and security guarantees have been at the center of key disagreements for negotiators.
• Moscow has consistently stated that Kyiv's military must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will seize it, dismissing any middle ground over how to conclude the war.
• Zelensky has thus far rejected surrendering any land, but has suggested that Ukraine could move its troops to an designated point – but only if Russia follows suit.

Moscow presently occupies about 75% of the Donetsk oblast and around 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk region. The two regions form the area of the Donbas.

The initial US-led 28-point peace plan that was circulated to the media last year was perceived by Ukraine and its European allies as being strongly biased in Moscow's favor.

This led to weeks of high-level discussions – with the involved parties trying to amend the document.

Recently, Ukraine submitted the US an revised framework – as well as additional documents outlining possible security guarantees and arrangements for Ukraine's reconstruction, the President stated.