UK and France Will Dispatch Troops to the Country if a Peace Deal is Reached
The British and French governments have formalized a statement of purpose concerning the stationing of military forces in the nation if a peace deal be concluded with Moscow, the Prime Minister of Britain, Keir Starmer, has stated.
After negotiations with Kyiv's partners in the French capital, he indicated that the UK and France would "establish defense centers in various parts of Ukraine and construct fortified facilities for weapons and military equipment" to discourage any subsequent attack.
The allied nations also put forward that the America would take the lead in overseeing a halt in hostilities.
Russia has consistently stated that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered a "legitimate target", but has not yet commented on this latest announcement.
Background and Continuing War
Moscow's leader Vladimir Putin launched a major offensive of Ukraine in early 2022, and Russian forces currently holds about 20% of the country's land.
"This represents an essential component of our vow to support Ukraine for the foreseeable future," commented the British leader.
Heads of state and top officials from the "Allied Coalition" participated in the recent discussions.
Speaking at a shared media briefing, he further said: "It establishes the framework for the legal framework under which British, French, and partner forces could work on the ground in Ukraine, protecting Ukraine's airspace and waters, and rebuilding Ukraine's military for the years ahead."
The PM added that Britain would take part in any Washington-directed verification of a prospective cessation of hostilities.
Defense Assurances and Negotiation Stances
Top US negotiator Steve Witkoff stated that "long-term safety pledges and robust economic promises are critical to a permanent resolution" in Ukraine – referring to a major demand made by the Ukrainian government.
He noted the allies had "largely finished" their work on agreeing such guarantees "so that the citizens of Ukraine know that when this hostilities ends, it ends for good."
Jared Kushner, ex-President Donald Trump's representative, also participated in the discussions.
At the same time, France's leader Emmanuel Macron stated that Ukraine's partners had made "significant advances" at the talks.
He noted that "robust" security guarantees for Kyiv had been reached in the case of a possible ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a "major step forward" had been made in the talks, but added that he would only view efforts to be "sufficient" if they resulted in the end of the fighting.
Recently, he said a settlement was "90% ready". Agreeing on the outstanding 10% would "decide the fate of the agreement, the future of Ukraine and Europe".
Unresolved Issues
- Land and security guarantees have been at the forefront of key disagreements for the parties involved.
- Putin has consistently stated that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will occupy it, dismissing any middle ground over how to finish the war.
- The Ukrainian President has to date excluded surrendering any land, but has suggested that Ukraine could withdraw its forces to an designated point – but only if Russia reciprocates.
Russia currently occupies about 75% of the Donetsk region and around 99% of the adjacent Luhansk. The areas form the area of Donbas.
The original US-led 28-point peace plan that was extensively reported to the media last year was seen by Kyiv and its partners in Europe as being heavily skewed in Russia's favor.
This sparked weeks of high-level discussions – with the involved parties trying to revise the document.
The previous month, The Ukrainian government presented the US an revised proposal – as well as distinct documents outlining potential defense assurances and provisions for Ukraine's recovery, the President said.