Ukraine has agreed with its Western partners on a multi-tiered enforcement mechanism under which persistent Russian violations of a future ceasefire would trigger coordinated military responses by Europe and the United States, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, Feb. 3, citing people briefed on the discussions.
According to the report, the framework was discussed repeatedly in December and January during talks between Ukrainian, European, and US officials and is intended to deter Russia from breaching a potential armistice.
Under the proposal, any Russian violation of a ceasefire would prompt a response within 24 hours, beginning with a diplomatic warning. If the breach continued, Ukrainian forces would be authorized to take action to halt the violation, the newspaper said.
If hostilities persisted beyond that stage, the plan provides for a second phase involving intervention by forces from the so-called “Coalition of the Willing,” which includes several European Union members as well as the United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland, and Turkey, according to the report.
In the event of a wider escalation, a coordinated response by a Western-backed force incorporating US military involvement would be triggered 72 hours after the initial breach, the Financial Times said.
The report also said envoys from Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington are scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday-Thursday for talks aimed at ending the war.
Washington is pushing for an end to the war, which has killed tens of thousands, forced millions to flee their homes and destroyed much of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Earlier, the Kremlin confirmed that a new round of talks with Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi on ending the four-year-war will start on Wednesday, after they were postponed from this weekend.
The talks will take place less than two weeks before the fourth anniversary of Moscow launching its full-scale offensive against Ukraine.
They are expected to focus on the crucial issue of territory, with neither side so far showing any sign of a breakthrough.