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Europe and the US will pursue coordinated military action if Russia repeatedly violates the upcoming ceasefire.
Under a proposal discussed between Ukrainian, European and US officials, Kiev has agreed with Western allies that repeated violations of any future ceasefire agreement by Russia would lead to a coordinated US-European military response, sources briefed on the discussions told the Financial Times.
A ceasefire violation by Russia would face a response within a day, starting with a “diplomatic warning” and a response from the Ukrainian military to stop the violation, three people familiar with the plan told the FT in a report which we have not yet independently verified.
If the fighting were to continue, there would be a second phase of intervention using forces from the "coalition of the willing," made up of over 20 of Ukraine's allies who have agreed to offer Kiev security guarantees once a ceasefire is reached with Russia, which has so far stuck to its maximalist demands.
If the ceasefire violation were to develop into a wider attack, three days after the initial violation, then a coordinated military response from a Western-backed force that included the US military would be triggered, according to officials.
American, European and Ukrainian officials discussed the proposals on several occasions in December and January, according to the FT.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has been at the forefront of the 'coalition of the willing' initiative, said last month after talks in Paris that the UK and France would send troops to Ukraine "in the event of a peace deal" with Russia.
Russia has reiterated that it will consider the deployment of any foreign military forces or infrastructure in Ukraine as unacceptable foreign interference and will treat those forces as legitimate targets, the Russian foreign ministry said on Monday, citing Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
A second round of talks between Russian, Ukrainian and American officials on a US-drafted plan to end the war will begin on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said over the weekend.
Despite continued diplomatic efforts to end Russia's full-scale occupation of Ukraine after nearly four years, attacks on Ukrainian cities and towns remain unabated.
Russian forces attacked Ukraine's capital, Kiev, the second-largest city, Kharkiv, and other centers early this morning, officials said, causing fires and dealing new blows to energy infrastructure. The attacks wounded at least four people, officials in the two largest cities said. Follow us as we bring you the latest news.
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