UK and France to send troops to Ukraine if peace deal agreed with Russia
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that England and France signed a statement of intent to deploy troops to Ukraine in case of a peace agreement with Russia.
Following talks with Ukraine’s allies in Paris, he said Britain and France would “establish military centers across Ukraine” to deter future invasion, while French President Emmanuel Macron later said thousands of troops could be deployed.
The allies also largely agreed on robust security guarantees for Ukraine and proposed that the United States take the lead in monitoring the ceasefire. However, the land issue is still being discussed.
Russia has repeatedly warned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be a “legitimate target”.
Moscow has not yet commented on the announcements made in the French capital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow now controls approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory.
Heads of state and senior officials of the “Coalition of Volunteers” attended the talks held in Paris on Tuesday.
Speaking at the joint press conference held after the meeting, Starmer said: “We signed the declaration of intent regarding the deployment of forces to Ukraine in case of a peace agreement.
“This is a vital part of our commitment to stand with Ukraine over the long term.
“This paves the way for the legal framework within which British, French and partner forces can operate on Ukrainian territory, secure Ukraine’s skies and seas and revitalize Ukraine’s armed forces for the future.”
The British prime minister added that London would participate in verifying a possible US-led ceasefire.
Top US negotiator Steve Witkoff said “permanent security guarantees and solid prosperity commitments are essential to a lasting peace” in Ukraine, citing a key demand from Kiev.
Witkoff said the allies had “largely completed” their work to agree on security protocols, allowing the Ukrainian people to know when that would happen. [war] It ends, it ends forever.”
Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy and son-in-law, said after a deal that Ukrainians should know there are “real grounds” to ensure war “will not happen again”.
Meanwhile, President Macron said Ukraine’s allies were making “significant progress” in talks.
He said an agreement had been reached on “robust” security guarantees for Kiev in the event of a potential ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in Paris that a “big step forward” had been taken, but added that he would consider the efforts “adequate” only if they resulted in an end to the war.
What Ukraine calls security “guarantees” and what American officials describe as security “protocols” may leave Trump with some leeway should he defend Kiev after a future Russian attack — but there is no doubt that Zelensky feels he and his European allies have received a significant concession from Washington.
We have heard few new details about where the ceasefire line will be drawn in the future and which territory currently occupied by Russian forces Ukraine will agree to surrender.
This possibility is something many Ukrainians still find difficult to accept, especially as Russia continues to attack cities and critical infrastructure across Ukraine on a daily basis.
But as snow falls and harsh winds blow from the east, Zelensky knows that the only alternative to a ceasefire and subsequent peace deal is a costly, harrowing winter of war with inevitable loss of life that will hit Ukraine much harder than Russia.
The Ukrainian president clearly hopes that guarantees of American oversight, a multinational force on Ukrainian soil and greater weapons support for its armed forces, backed by a growing international coalition, will convince a sometimes skeptical public that it has the right to sue for peace.
But as he wrapped up his Paris press conference, Zelensky acknowledged that today’s “turning point” does not necessarily guarantee peace. Real progress still needs Russian support, and Moscow has been fairly quiet in recent days about diplomatic efforts to end the war.
It is known that Putin opposes the creation of a European-led international force in the disputed regions, and that Moscow will be reluctant to stop the advance, even if slow, of its troops if its war objectives are not achieved.
But pressure is undoubtedly growing on both sides to make concessions and end the war.
Last week, Zelensky says peace deal is “90 percent ready”. Agreeing on the remaining 10 percent will “determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe.”
Territorial and security guarantees are at the forefront of unresolved issues for negotiators.
Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from all of Donbas in eastern Ukraine or Russia will seize it. rejects any compromise on how to end the war.
Zelensky has so far refused to give up any territory but has suggested Ukraine could withdraw its troops to an agreed-upon point only if Russia does the same.
Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region and about 99% of neighboring Luhansk. The two regions form the industrial region of Donbas.
The original 28-point US-led peace plan, widely leaked to the media last year, was seen by Kiev and its European allies as heavily skewed in Russia’s favor.
This triggered weeks of intense high-level diplomacy in which Ukraine, the United States and European leaders tried to change the draft.
Zelensky said last month that Kiev sent the United States an updated 20-point plan as well as separate documents outlining potential security guarantees and provisions for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
