UK and France Will Dispatch Forces to the Country should a Ceasefire Accord is Reached

The British and French governments have inked a declaration of intent concerning the stationing of military forces in Ukraine in the event a ceasefire be struck with Russia, the British leader, Keir Starmer, has declared.

Subsequent to talks with allied nations in the French capital, he said that the UK and France would "set up operational bases across Ukraine and construct fortified facilities for military hardware and defense matériel" to deter any potential attack.

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

Moscow has repeatedly stated that any external forces in Ukraine would be considered a "valid objective", but has so far not commented on this new declaration.

Context and Continuing War

The Kremlin's head Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, and Russian forces at this time occupies about 20% of Ukraine's sovereign soil.

"This is a vital part of our vow to support Ukraine for the long-term," stated the British leader.

National leaders and top officials from the "Coalition of the Willing" were involved in Tuesday's talks.

Addressing reporters at a joint press conference, he further said: "It establishes the framework for the legal framework under which allied and coalition forces could work on Ukrainian soil, defending Ukraine's air and maritime domains, and restoring Ukraine's armed forces for the future."

The British leader went on to say that Britain would take part in any US-led monitoring of a prospective cessation of hostilities.

Security Guarantees and Diplomatic Positions

Lead Washington representative Steve Witkoff stated that "durable defense assurances and robust economic promises are critical to a enduring ceasefire" in Ukraine – mentioning a central demand made by the Ukrainian government.

The negotiator said the allies had "largely finished" their work on establishing such assurances "so that the people of Ukraine know that when this war ends, it ends for good."

The former US envoy, former American President Donald Trump's advisor, also participated in the discussions.

Separately, President Macron Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine's partners had made "significant progress" at the talks.

He noted that "robust" security guarantees for Ukraine had been reached in the case of a potential ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that a "significant advance" had been made in the talks, but cautioned that he would only deem efforts to be "sufficient" if they resulted in the end of the war.

Earlier, the Ukrainian leader suggested a settlement was "largely prepared". Finalizing the outstanding 10% would "determine the fate of peace, the destiny of Ukraine and Europe".

Outstanding Matters

• Territory and security guarantees have been at the center of ongoing disputes for the parties involved.
• Moscow has repeatedly warned that Kyiv's military must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will occupy it, refusing any compromise over how to finish the war.
• The Ukrainian President has so far excluded ceding any land, but has proposed that Ukraine could pull back its forces to an designated point – but only if Russia reciprocates.

Russian forces currently occupies approximately 75% of the Donetsk region and around 99% of the bordering Luhansk region. The areas form the industrial region of the Donbas.

The earlier US-led comprehensive peace plan that was circulated to the media last year was viewed by Kyiv and its EU supporters as being heavily skewed in Russia's favor.

This led to a period of intensive negotiations – with the involved parties trying to revise the draft.

The previous month, Kyiv submitted the US an revised framework – as well as distinct documents outlining possible defense assurances and provisions for Ukraine's recovery, Zelensky said.