Security guarantees for Ukraine ‘largely finished,’ Witkoff says

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said on Tuesday that security guarantees for Ukraine are now “largely finished” after a meeting of Kyiv’s allies in Paris.

At the pivotal meeting in Paris, leaders from European nations and Canada, along with US representatives and senior officials from the EU and NATO, pledged to equip and train Kyiv’s front-line forces, while also offering air, land, and sea support to ward off future Russian military aggression.

“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 forever,” Witkoff said at the meeting, which brought together leaders of around 35 countries to finalize security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a peace deal.

It came as the UK, France and Ukraine signed a joint declaration of intent to confirm details of a so-called postwar “Multinational Force” to safeguard any potential peace agreement.

For the first time, the US has agreed to support the force if it is attacked, according to a draft statement.

In accordance with the declaration, British and French boots on the ground, with the US backstop, will make up a multinational military force to provide “reassurance measures in the air, at sea and on land” as well as to regenerate Ukraine’s army.

It is also understood that Britain and France will establish “military hubs” in Ukraine to facilitate the deployment and construct protected facilities for weapons and military kit.

Britain’s Sir Keir Starmer hailed the step at the press conference in Paris, saying that peace was “closer than ever,” though he also cautioned that “the hardest yards are still ahead.”

“We can only get to a peace deal if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is ready to make compromises,” he said, adding: “Putin is not showing he is ready for peace.”

France’s Emmanuel Macron said that allies had made “considerable progress” in confirming “robust security guarantees for a solid and lasting peace.”

“I think today was a very, very big milestone,” said Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who also attended the discussions.

“This does not mean that we will make peace, but peace would not be possible without the progress that was made here today,” he added.

Moscow has previously rejected the presence of NATO troops or those associated with the Coalition of the Willing in Ukraine, including as part of a security guarantee, and has warned that it would regard any European troops as a “legitimate target.”

Washington has also promised to spearhead a high-tech operation to monitor the ceasefire line agreed upon in any potential deal between Russia and Ukraine in order to ascertain blame for any violations which may take place.

European sources have suggested that the US committing to provide a backstop for troops is a game-changer in negotiations.

“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,” Kushner added.