UK, France Agree to Deploy Forces in Ukraine After Peace Deal

By Staff, Agencies

The leaders of the UK and France announced on Tuesday that they have agreed to deploy military forces in Ukraine if Kiev reaches a peace agreement with Russia, despite Moscow’s categorical rejection of any NATO presence in the country under any pretext.

The agreement was revealed during a meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” in Paris. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain and France, along with partners, had signed a “Declaration of Intent” to deploy forces “in the event of a peace deal,” describing the move as a “vital part of our iron-cast commitment.”

He added that the declaration would establish a legal framework for foreign forces to operate on Ukrainian territory.

Starmer stated that following a ceasefire, London and Paris would set up “military hubs” across Ukraine, construct protected facilities for weapons and equipment, and take part in US-led monitoring of any truce.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the proposed deployment would be a non-combat force of “potentially thousands” of troops, stressing that they would be positioned “a long way behind the contact line.”

However, neither Macron nor Starmer, nor Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, provided concrete details on troop numbers, locations, or timelines.

Zelensky claimed Kiev had held “very substantive discussions” with US officials on the matter, saying Washington was “ready to work on this” and that progress had been made on documents related to security guarantees.

US envoy Steve Witkoff, who attended the Paris talks, stopped short of confirming any American troop deployment, but spoke of strict “security protocols” intended to deter future attacks on Ukraine.

Russia has repeatedly warned that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine would be considered “legitimate targets,” and has long maintained that NATO expansion and the prospect of alliance forces operating in Ukraine were among the core causes of the conflict.