The United States has backed security guarantees for Ukraine as France and the United Kingdom pledged to deploy forces to Ukrainian territory if a peace deal is reached with Russia.
UK and France will “establish military hubs across Ukraine” to deter future invasion UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Tuesday after talks with Ukraine’s allies in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron later said “thousands of troops” may be deployed.
Allies also largely agreed robust security guarantees for Ukraine and proposed that the US would take the lead in monitoring a truce. The key issue of territory is still being discussed.
In a public show of support, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner praised European work to work out a plan that would provide a security guarantee to ongoing peace talks with Russia.
“We have largely finished the security protocols,” said Witkoff, standing alongside the leaders of France, Germany, the U.K. and Ukraine.
“This is important so that when this war ends, it ends forever,” he added, after praising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his “outstanding team.”
Russia has repeatedly warned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be a “legitimate target”.
Moscow has not yet commented on the announcements made in the French capital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.
