UK and France sign historic deal to send troops to Ukraine with Trump’s blessing
Britain and France have signed a historic agreement with Russia pledging to land in Ukraine as soon as a ceasefire is reached.
The document, signed by French president Emmanuel Macron, British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at a summit in Paris, was praised as “an important step forward” in establishing the coalition keen to guarantee peace in the war-torn country.
This was made possible by the US presence at the summit; Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, confirmed the president “strongly, strongly, strongly” supports security guarantees and will provide support to make it work.
Additionally, German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz suggested that his country may soon commit to sending troops to Ukraine.
The breakthrough came despite the cloud hanging over the summit after Donald Trump claimed Greenland, the sovereign territory of the EU’s NATO ally Denmark.
At the same time, following the US intervention in Venezuela, concerns were expressed that the Trump administration was violating international law in capturing the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro.
But both President Macron and Sir Keir have harshly rejected any suggestion of division between the NATO allies. All parties went out of their way to thank Mr. Kushner and Mr. Trump’s peace envoy, Steve Witkoff, for their first appearance at the voluntary summit coalition and for providing the support needed to proceed with the peace plan.
Mr Macron noted how the deal fulfilled Mr Trump’s wishes for Europe to take more responsibility for its own defense as part of increasing its military spending and footprint.
However, the coalition willing to agree may delay the ceasefire; Vladimir Putin has already made it clear that he is against foreign military presence in Ukraine after the war ends.
In his statement on the new agreement, Sir Keir said: “This is a declaration of intention to deploy forces to Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement. It is a vital part of our firm determination to stand with Ukraine over the long term.”
“The ‘Multinational Force for Ukraine’ will act as a reassurance force that will strengthen security guarantees and Ukraine’s ability to return to peace and stability by supporting the renewal of Ukraine’s own forces.
“The signing of the declaration paves the way for the legal framework to be created for French and British forces to operate on Ukrainian territory, secure Ukraine’s skies and seas and build an armed forces fit for the future.”
He added: “In today’s talks we have also provided further details on the mechanics of deploying force on the ground. Alongside our plans for a post-ceasefire coordination cell, the UK and France will establish ‘military centres’ across Ukraine to enable deployment and build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment to support Ukraine’s defense needs.”
The French president called the agreement the “Paris Declaration”, declaring the “significant progress” made at the summit.
A summary of the agreement shared by the Elysée, the official residence of the French president, stated that the agreement would include “a proposed US-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism.”
This would also include the long-discussed “multinational force for Ukraine” led by European allies, “with the participation of non-European members of the coalition and proposed support from the United States.”
There are also “binding commitments to support Ukraine in the event of a future armed attack by Russia in order to restore peace.”
President Zelensky said the agreements “don’t go far enough yet” but welcomed the agreement and America’s support.
Mr. Kushner pressed whether the United States would provide military support if allies trying to guarantee peace in Ukraine were attacked, insisting: “America stands strong, strong, strong behind those security guarantees. The president is not backing down on his commitments.”
He said a security guarantee for Ukraine was about having “real grounds” to prevent conflicts in Eastern Europe.
Mr. Kushner said: “I think today is a very, very big turning point, and I thank President Macron for putting this together and for all the work that everyone here has done behind the scenes to bring this together.
Mr Kushner, who was previously a senior adviser to his father-in-law Mr Trump, said the US president wanted “an agreement where both sides try to de-escalate tensions”, adding: “You create a robust deterrent through force, you know, a peace where it’s unlikely that someone can go in and restart that.”
He added: “This is a really important building block towards a final peace agreement and I think this is a huge, huge milestone achieved today by a coalition of the willing among Europeans.”
This comes amid concerns that the US is positioning itself as a “hostile actor” within NATO and turning its back on its European allies. Just hours after the Ukraine deal was announced, the White House doubled down on Trump’s insistence that the United States was “discussing options to acquire Greenland” as a “national security priority.”
Greenland is a territory of Denmark, an important and long-term NATO ally. European leaders also issued a statement on Tuesday insisting that Greenland’s future “belongs to its people.”
Rose Gottemoeller, who served as NATO’s deputy secretary-general during Trump’s first administration, told The Independent that any attempt to unilaterally annex the strategic mineral-rich island would plunge the alliance into an “existential” crisis.
“NATO European countries have woken up to the fact that they will have to go it alone, without the US. These events are undoubtedly a short, sharp shock and a huge boost to that wake-up call,” he told The Independent.
Britain and France’s commitment to deploy boats ashore in Ukraine was part of this.
“This is an indication that Europe is potentially taking the lead in a world without NATO and the United States.”
