UK and France to send troops to Ukraine if peace deal is reached with Russia

Britain and France have signed a statement of intent on deploying troops to Ukraine if a peace deal is reached with Russia, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said.

After talks with Ukraine’s allies in Paris, he said the UK and France would “establish military centers across Ukraine and build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment” to deter a future invasion.

The allies also proposed that the United States take the lead in monitoring a ceasefire.

Russia has repeatedly warned that any presence of foreign troops in Ukraine would constitute a “legitimate target”, but has not yet commented on the announcement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow currently controls around 20% of Ukraine’s territory.

Heads of state and senior officials of the “Coalition of the Willing” took part in talks in the French capital on Tuesday.

Speaking at a joint press conference after the meeting, Starmer said: “We signed a statement of intent on deploying forces to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal.

“This is an essential part of our commitment to supporting Ukraine over the long term.

“This paves the way for the legal framework within which British, French and partner forces could operate on Ukrainian soil, securing Ukraine’s skies and seas and regenerating Ukraine’s armed forces for the future,” he added.

The British prime minister added that London would participate in any US-led verification of a possible ceasefire.

Top US negotiator Steve Witkoff said “enduring security guarantees and strong commitments to prosperity are essential to lasting peace” in Ukraine – referring to a key demand made by kyiv.

Witkoff said the allies “have largely completed” their work to achieve such guarantees “so that the Ukrainian people know that when it is possible, [war] It ends, it ends forever.”

Jared Kushner, special envoy and son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, also participated in the negotiations.

At the same time, French President Emmanuel Macron said Ukraine’s allies had made “considerable progress” in negotiations.

He said “robust” security guarantees for kyiv had been agreed in the event of a possible ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a “huge step forward” had been made in Paris, but added that he would consider the efforts “sufficient” only if they resulted in an end to the war.

Last week, Zelensky says peace deal ‘90% ready’. Agreeing on the remaining 10% would “determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe.”

Territory and security guarantees were at the forefront of unresolved issues for negotiators.

Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from all of Eastern Donbass, otherwise Russia will seize it, rejecting any compromise on how to end the war.

Zelensky has so far ruled out any territorial ceding, but has suggested that Ukraine could withdraw its troops to an agreed point – but only if Russia does the same.

Moscow currently controls around 75% of the Donetsk region and around 99% of the neighboring Luhansk region. The two regions form the Donbass industrial region.

The initial 28-point US-led peace plan, widely disclosed in the media last year, was seen by kyiv and its European allies as heavily biased in favor of Russia.

That sparked weeks of intensive high-level diplomacy — with Ukraine, the United States and European leaders trying to amend the plan.

Last month, Kyiv sent the United States an updated 20-point plan, as well as separate documents outlining potential security guarantees and provisions for Ukraine’s reconstruction, Zelensky said.