UK and France 'ready to deploy troops' to Ukraine after ceasefire

Source: The Guardian

Britain and France have declared they are ready to deploy troops to Ukraine in the aftermath of a peace deal, a major new commitment that has been under discussion for months, although one which Russia is likely to block forcefully.

The announcement came after a summit in Paris hosted by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and attended by more than two dozen leaders of the states that make up the “coalition of the willing” of Ukrainian allies, plus the US envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who said the US president “strongly stands” behind the security protocols.

Macron, the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the trilateral declaration of intent on Tuesday evening after hours of talks, which they said would pave the way for the deployment of French and British troops on Ukrainian soil. “Following a ceasefire, the UK and France will establish military hubs across Ukraine,” said Starmer.

However the planned ground force is unlikely to engage directly with Russian forces should Moscow relaunch an invasion of Ukraine. 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”. There was no further clarity given immediately on the size or scope of the potential force.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/06/uk-france-ready-to-deploy-troops-to-ukraine-after-ceasefire