British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed the UK and France would deploy ground troops in Ukraine if a peace deal with Russia were to be reached.
Speaking after a landmark meeting in Paris of European leaders and US officials - what Starmer called the "coalition of the willing" - the Prime Minister said he and French President Emmanuel Macron had signed a "declaration of intent" with Ukraine, offering several security guarantees.
This included an agreement for international forces to serve in Ukraine after the war.
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"It paves the way for the legal framework under which British, French and partner forces could operate on Ukraine's soil, securing Ukraine's skies and seas and regenerating Ukraine's armed forces for the future," Starmer said of the declaration.
"The purpose of the coalition of the willing is to help deliver a peace that can last, and to work with the US to guarantee Ukraine's security for the long-term."
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The meeting in Paris saw over 20 leaders of states that make up the "coalition of the willing", as well as US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Starmer said discussions in Paris solidified the specifics of what deployment of allied troops in Ukraine would look like.
"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," he said.
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Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy praised the development, but insisted it was only one small step towards lasting peace in the region.
"One year ago we couldn't even think about it and now we have this step," he said.
"It is still not enough… It is enough when the war in Ukraine will end."
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Kushner thanked the French President for organising the meeting, calling it a "big milestone".
"This does not mean that we will make peace, but peace would not be possible without the progress that was made here today," he said.
"If Ukraine is going to make a final deal, they have to know that after a deal they are secure, they have, obviously, a robust deterrence, and there's real backstops to make sure that this will not happen again."
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