Ukraine-Russia war latest: UK and France ready to deploy troops to Ukraine if peace deal agreed

Several oil storage tanks were on fire at an oil depot in Russia’s Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, its governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

Confirming the attack which occurred late on Tuesday, Gladkov said there were no casualties and firefighters were working to contain the blaze.

Belgorod, just 40 km (25 miles) from Ukraine, has faced a daily onslaught of Ukrainian drone attacks, largely targeting the supply chains and infrastructure propping up Russia’s military campaign.

European leaders gathered in Paris on Tuesday said they would provide a range of military support options to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia.

The Coalition of the Willing said it would continue supplying equipment and training to Ukraine’s frontline forces after any ceasefire and back them up with air, land and sea support aimed at deterring renewed Russian aggression.

The size, structure and financing of any peacekeeping forces were not made public, and many elements remain to be negotiated.

Participants identified five priorities once fighting ends: monitoring a ceasefire; supporting Ukraine’s armed forces; deploying a multinational force on land, at sea and in the air; agreeing how to respond if Russia attacks again; and establishing long-term defence cooperation with Ukraine.

Keir Starmer said in the event of a ceasefire, the UK and France would establish military hubs across Ukraine and “build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment to support Ukraine’s defensive needs”.

Any European troop deployments would face political hurdles and would require approval from politicians in many countries.

Russian officials had indicated that they would be willing to let the US pursue its interests in Venezuela freely if Moscow was allowed to do the same in Ukraine, former Trump adviser Fiona Hill said.

In a 2019 congressional hearing, senior adviser Hill admitted that the Kremlin in 2019 had pitched the possibility of giving up its grip on Venezuela for control of Ukraine.

Officials in Russia “were signaling very strongly that they wanted to somehow make some very strange swap arrangement between Venezuela and Ukraine,” Hill said in her answers to lawmakers during a hearing in November 2019.

Her remarks have now resurfaced after Trump attacked Venezuela and captured its leader Nicolas Maduro.

She added that while Russia’s overtures were “informal”, their message was still clear. “You know, you have your Monroe Doctrine. You want us out of your backyard. Well, you know, we have our own version of this. You’re in our backyard in Ukraine,” the former advisor to Trump said in the congressional hearing.

Ukraine’s Security Service carried out drone strikes on a military arsenal and an oil depot deep inside Russia, according to a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The long-range drones hit the arsenal in Russia’s Kostroma region, triggering explosions that lasted for hours and forced the evacuation of nearby settlements, the official said. The site was described as a key logistics hub supplying ammunition in western and central Russia.

In a separate strike, Ukraine Security Service drones hit an oil depot in Russia’s Lipetsk region, causing a huge fire, the official said.

It was made possible by the US presence at the summit, with Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner confirming that the president “strongly, strongly, strongly” supports the security guarantees and would provide the backup to make it work.

Prime minister Keir Starmer said the meeting of European leaders in Paris made “excellent progress” but cautioned that “the hardest yards are still ahead,” noting that Russian attacks on Ukraine continue.

Starmer added that there can only be peace if Russia compromises, and added: “Putin is not showing that he is ready for peace.”

In the event of a ceasefire, Starmer said the UK and France “will establish military hubs across Ukraine and build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment to support Ukraine’s defensive needs”.

According to the Elysee, the Paris declaration by the Coalition of the Willing agreed:

– To participate in a US-led “ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism”

– Ongoing efforts to arm Ukraine’s military, and to provide it with tactical support

– The pledge of French and British boots on the ground once the war is over

– “Binding commitments” to support Ukraine if there are armed attacks by Russia in future

– And a long-term commitment to deepen defence ties with Kyiv

Proposals for post-war security protocols for Ukraine are “largely” finalised, US president Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said following the discussions with European countries.

“We look forward to more progress as a result of everything that’s occurred today,” he said.

“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 for ever.

“We also think critically that we are very, very close to finishing up as robust a prosperity agreement as any country has ever seen coming out of conflicts like this.”

Ukraine has united Europe and America, President Volodymyr Zelensky said after the allies announced the security guarantee.

“Euro-Atlantic unity has proven its effectiveness and must be preserved for our shared interests and security. And together, we can achieve even more – Ukraine unites Europe and America,” he wrote on social media.