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Ukraine’s allies sign declaration of intent to create military presence in Ukraine in the event of ceasefire
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The UK and France have signed a declaration of intent to send forces to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, Sir Keir Starmer has announced.
Speaking to reporters in Paris, the prime minister said the UK and France would “create military hubs in Ukraine” in the event of a ceasefire in the war with Russia.
The signing of the declaration followed hours of talks involving the Coalition of the Willing, comprised of Ukraine’s allies, at the Elysee Palace on Tuesday. US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the talks.
Meanwhile, European leaders have pushed back at Donald Trump’s threats against Greenland in advance of the latest Ukraine peace talks in Paris.
Denmark, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain said in a joint statement: “Greenland belongs to its people.”
Nations in the “coalition of the willing” have pledged to back up front-line forces with air, land and sea support to deter any future Russian attack.
Leaders from European countries and Canada, as well as US representatives and top officials from the European Union and Nato, promised to provide Kyiv’s front-line forces with equipment and training.
The size of the supporting forces was not made public, and many of the plan’s details remain unclear.
Sir Keir Starmer said the meeting made excellent progress but cautioned that “the hardest yards are still ahead”.
The prime minister hailed the security protocol agreement as providing defence for the UK.
“There’s more work always to be done, but we’ve made some real progress today, and that is a good thing for Ukraine,” Sir Keir Starmer said.
“It’s a good thing for Europe. It’s a good thing for the United Kingdom because, of course, this is about our security, our defence, our freedoms, and the impact that it’s already had over four long years on Ukraine, on Europe and back in the United Kingdom.”
A significant intervention by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, at the press conference, confirming that the US president is now pleased with the plans to provide security guarantees for Ukraine.
He said: “America strongly, strongly, strongly stands behind those security guanrantees. The president does not back down from his commitments.”
This means that the US is at last giving its backing to the coalition of the willing, something that Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have been begging the White House for.
Whether that means American troops would back up French and British ones in the event of a potential attack by Russia is still a moot point.
But nevertheless significant progress has been made.
Security protocols for Ukraine are largely finished, US president Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said following the discussions with European countries.
“We look forward to more progress as a result of everything that’s occurred today,” he said.
“We think we’re largely finished with security protocols, which are important so that the people of Ukraine know that when this ends, it ends for ever.
“We also think critically that we are very, very close to finishing up as robust a prosperity agreement as any country has ever seen coming out of conflicts like this.”
Keir Starmer has just spelt out the significance of the talks in Paris today with a confirmation that the UK and France will “create military hubs in Ukraine” in the event of a ceasefire in the war with Russia.
Earlier President Emmanuel Macron has said that “significant progress” had been made with the coalition of the willing plan.
But the presence of the Trump administration at the talks lengths strength to the decisions made today.
Macron and Starmer though have made an important step forward by finally leading the way in committing military forces to guarantee Ukraine’s security even though it will be Ukrainian forces still on the front line.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says that “the hardest yards are still ahead” to achieve peace in Ukraine.
He says the work of the Coalition is now “more advanced than ever”, and calls the declaration of intent “a vital part” of the peace process.
“Following a ceasefire, the UK and France will establish military hubs across Ukraine and build protected facilties to support Ukraine’s defensive needs.”
He says the UK will also participate in monitoring of a ceasefire.
Zelensky says progress was made with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who represented the US at today’s talks.
“We are grateful for US support… and we agree that security guarantees must be based on legal grounds that will be confirmed by Congress.”
He adds that the main issue that must be worked on with the US remains territory.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky says the declaration of intent is “concrete” and illustrates “the willingness of Europe to work for peace”.
“We want to be ready so that when diplomacy reaches peace, we can place the forces of the Coalition of the Willing. The details will be set out in other documents, we are seeking other countries who wish to contribute.”
The press conference for the Coalition of the Willing has begun in Paris.
France’s president Emmanuel Macron says that France, Britain and Ukraine have signed a “declaration of intent” to deploy multinational forces in Ukraine.
He says this will provide Kyiv with “strong” security guarantees in the event of a peace deal.
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