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

The UK and France have signed a declaration of intent on deploying troops in Ukraine if a peace deal is made with Russia, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said.

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

The allies also proposed that the US would take the lead in monitoring a ceasefire.

Russia has repeatedly warned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be 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 about 20% of Ukrainian territory.

Heads of state and top officials from the “Coalition of the Willing” took part in Tuesday’s talks in the French capital.

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

“This is a vital part of our commitment to stand with Ukraine for the long-term.

“It paves the way for the legal framework under 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,”

The UK prime minister added London would participate in any US-led verification of a potential ceasefire.

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

Witkoff said the allies “largely finished” their work on agreeing such guarantees “so that people of Ukraine know that when this [war] ends, it ends forever”.

Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy and son-in-law, also took part in the negotiations.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said Ukraine’s allies had made “considerable progress” at the talks.

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

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

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

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

Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from all of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas or Russia will seize it, rejecting any compromise over how to end the war.

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

Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The two regions form the industrial region of Donbas.

The original US-led 28-point peace plan widely leaked to the media last year was seen by Kyiv and its European allies as being heavily skewed in Russia’s favour.

This triggered weeks of intensive high-level diplomacy – with Ukraine, the US and European leaders trying to amend the draft.

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