Sir Keir Starmer tonight paved the way for British troops to be sent to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force.
Following talks in the French capital, the Prime Minister signed an agreement – dubbed the ‘Paris Declaration’ – to commit the UK to the deployment of forces.
The document outlined how Britain and France will establish military hubs across Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia.
Sir Keir signed the agreement alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky after discussions between the ‘Coalition of the Willing’.
The Paris talks were also attended by Steve Witkoff, who is Donald Trump‘s peace envoy, and Jared Kushner, the US President’s son-in-law.
At a press conference in Paris, the PM said Ukraine and its allies were ‘closer’ to peace ‘than ever’ – but warned ‘the hardest yards are still ahead’.
Sir Keir added that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ‘not showing that he’s ready for peace’.
‘Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen the opposite – further horrific strikes on Ukraine, killing and wounding civilians, and cutting off power for millions of people in the dead of winter,’ the PM said.
Sir Keir Starmer tonight paved the way for British troops to be sent to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force
Sir Keir signed the agreement alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky after discussions between the ‘Coalition of the Willing’
Sir Keir continued: ‘He’s tried to distract from peace efforts, with unfounded claims of attacks on his residence. This only hardens our resolve.
‘We will keep the pressure up on Russia, including further measures on oil tankers and shadow fleet operators funding Putin’s war chest.’
Sir Keir described the Paris agreement as 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,’ he added.
‘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.
‘We discussed these issues in detail today, and so I can say that following a ceasefire, the UK and France will establish military hubs across Ukraine and build protected facilities for weapons of military equipment to support Ukraine’s defensive needs.’
Sir Keir said the UK would participate in any US-led verification of any ceasefire and support the long-term provision of arms for Ukraine’s defence.
Mr Macron said ‘strong security guarantees’ were at the heart of Tuesday’s declaration.
Mr Kushner said Mr Zelensky and Mr Trump had held ‘extensive conversation’ on security guarantees during their meeting in Mar-a-Lago last month.
‘I think that they really resolved most if not all of the issues that are outstanding on that,’ he said. ‘I will say I think today was a very, very big milestone.’
He added: ‘This does not mean that we will make peace. But peace will not be possible without the progress that was made here today.
‘If Ukraine is going to make a final deal, they have to know that after a deal they are secure, they have a robust deterrence and there’s real backstops to make sure that this will not happen again.’
A statement issued by Downing Street following the talks in Paris said: ‘The signing of the declaration paves the way for the legal framework to be established for French and UK forces to operate on Ukrainian soil, securing Ukraine’s skies and seas and building an armed forces fit for the future.
‘In today’s discussions we have also gone into greater detail about the mechanics of the deployment of the force on the ground.
‘Alongside our plans for a coordination cell, post-ceasefire the UK and France will also establish ‘military hubs’ across Ukraine to enable the deployment and build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment to support Ukraine’s defensive needs.’
