Britain and France have declared they are ready to deploy troops to Ukraine in the aftermath of a peace deal, following a summit in Paris hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. The announcement came after the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, Macron and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a trilateral declaration of intent on Tuesday evening, which they said would pave the way for the establishment of military hubs across Ukrainian soil.
“Following a ceasefire, the UK and France will establish military hubs across Ukraine,” Starmer said. However, the planned ground force is unlikely to engage directly with Russian forces should Moscow relaunch an invasion. Macron made it clear that the goal of the force would be “to provide reassurance after the ceasefire” and noted it would be stationed “a long way behind the contact line”. No further clarity was given immediately on the size or scope of the potential force.
Macron said the coalition, which includes more than two dozen states, had also drawn up a plan for “ceasefire monitoring commitments under American leadership” as well as “long-term support to Ukrainian armed forces”. US envoy Steve Witkoff, who attended the summit with Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, said the security guarantees were “as strong as anyone has ever seen” and intended to “deter any further attacks”. He added that the US would “be there for the Ukrainians” in achieving peace.
Zelenskyy said the issue of Ukraine giving up territory remained a sticking point in talks, though he expressed readiness to discuss directly with Trump if negotiations faltered. Witkoff agreed that territory “will be the most critical issue” and hoped for compromises. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has categorically opposed any Nato soldiers being based on Ukrainian soil, and Russian officials have repeatedly ruled out a temporary ceasefire, insisting on a comprehensive settlement.
Starmer acknowledged the challenges ahead, saying: “We are closer to [peace] than ever but of course the hardest yards are still ahead. We can only get to a peace deal if Putin is ready to make compromises. Putin is not showing he is ready for peace.” The prospect of a negotiated deal followed by a troop deployment seems unlikely in the short term, as Moscow appears content to continue fighting.
