Britain and France to Deploy Military Personnel to Ukraine in the event that a Peace Deal is Finalized

The London and Paris have signed a declaration of intent concerning the deployment of military forces in the nation should a peace deal be concluded with Russia, the Prime Minister of Britain, Sir Keir Starmer, has announced.

Following discussions with allied nations in Paris, he said that the allies would "establish military hubs in various parts of Ukraine and construct protected installations for military hardware and military equipment" to prevent any potential attack.

The coalition members also suggested that the America would play the primary role in verifying a ceasefire.

The Kremlin has on multiple occasions stated that any external forces in Ukraine would be considered a "valid objective", but has so far not commented on this latest announcement.

Background and Continuing War

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a comprehensive attack of Ukraine in early 2022, and Russian forces currently holds about 20% of the country's land.

"This is a vital part of our commitment to support Ukraine for the foreseeable future," remarked the UK Prime Minister.

Top officials and senior officials from the "Partner Group" participated in the Paris negotiations.

Speaking at a combined announcement, Starmer added: "It creates the pathway for the operational parameters under which allied and coalition forces could operate on the ground in Ukraine, securing Ukraine's air and maritime domains, and regenerating Ukraine's military for the future."

The British leader added that Britain would be involved in any Washington-directed confirmation of a possible truce.

Security Guarantees and Negotiation Stances

Top US negotiator Steve Witkoff stated that "long-term defense assurances and substantial economic promises are essential to a enduring ceasefire" in Ukraine – referring to a key requirement made by the Ukrainian government.

He said the coalition had "substantially agreed on" their work on finalizing such guarantees "to ensure the Ukrainian people know that when this hostilities ends, it ends for good."

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

At the same time, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine's partners had made "major progress" at the talks.

He noted that "strong" safety pledges for Kyiv had been reached in the instance of a possible truce.

Ukrainian President 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 conclusion of the conflict.

Last week, Zelensky said a peace deal was "mostly finalized". Finalizing the last 10% would "determine the future of the peace, the future of Ukraine and Europe".

Remaining Challenges

• Territory and security guarantees have been at the forefront of ongoing disputes for negotiators.
• Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will take control, dismissing any concession over how to conclude the war.
• The Ukrainian President has to date ruled out giving up any land, but has proposed that Ukraine could move its troops to an designated point – but only if Russia reciprocates.

Moscow currently occupies approximately 75% of the Donetsk region and some 99% of the bordering Luhansk. The two regions form the heartland of Donbas.

The earlier US-led multi-point proposal that was circulated to the media last year was perceived by Kyiv and its EU supporters as being heavily skewed in Russia's direction.

This sparked a period of focused diplomacy – with all sides trying to revise the proposal.

Last month, Ukraine sent the US an new proposal – as well as separate documents detailing prospective security guarantees and provisions for Ukraine's rebuilding, the President added.