Sitrep: What is the reality of a ceasefire for troops on the ground in Ukraine?
The Foreign Secretary has said it would be "wrong" for Vladimir Putin to place conditions on a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
David Lammy said a pause in fighting would be a "first step" towards allowing talks to start on "a full settlement" to end the war, as US president Donald Trump warned it would be "very disappointing" for Moscow to reject the proposal.
Talks between the US and Ukraine produced the idea of a 30-day truce, with the US president sending envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow to discuss the plans with Russian officials.
General Lord Richard Dannatt, former Chief of the General Staff, discussed the reality of what a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine might look like on the latest episode BFBS Sitrep – which analyses the top defence stories of the week and is available wherever you get your podcasts.
According to Lord Dannatt, sending in an intervention force of mutual troops between the Russians and the Ukrainians is "frankly, practically impossible" and it is more likely that satellite or aerial surveillance will play a part in monitoring any future peace agreement.
He thinks that the leaderships might agree to a ceasefire, but the most junior soldier in a slick trench must also be properly prepared, "so that when they see people are surprised or they haven't seen before, they don't start shooting at them".
Lord Dannatt went on to warn: "Given the high level of casualties between Russians and Ukrainians over the last three years, the temptation for Ukrainians soldier or Russian soldier to take a pot shot of the other side and therefore risk disrupting the ceasefire is extraordinarily high given the huge level of casualties we've seen."
On the previous suggestions that the UK might send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, Lord Dannatt believes it is "frankly, practically impossible" and that "the 1,000 kilometre or so frontline would absorb a huge number of troops".
He went on to say: "I think if there's going to be any monitoring of a ceasefire, it's more likely to have to be done with satellite surveillance, aerial surveillance, drone type surveillance, just so that there is a safer way of seeing what is going on.
"But of course, seeing what is going on doesn't necessarily mean that you can do anything about it."
He goes on to say that the best way to ensure a successful ceasefire is a total withdrawal from frontline positions and for both sides to agree some form of geographic separation.
The success of a ceasefire will be down to who is willing to pull back from their pre-prepared positions, which he thinks is "more likely to prevent an accidental breaking of the ceasefire".
"But I just can't see, after the intensity of this war over the last three years, that being a realistic possibility.
"I think the only potential formula for some form of lasting peace, of any length of time is for the Ukrainians, very reluctantly, to accept they're not going to get their 20% back in eastern Ukraine, and for the Russians to say, well, at least for the time being, that's as far as we're going."
He added: "But this, of course, brings the whole wider issue about the security of Europe more generally. Can we trust the Russians? Frankly, no, we can't."
This comes as the Ukrainian president has dismissed Russian president Vladimir Putin's response to ceasefire proposals, calling it a predictable attempt at manipulation.
In a statement on Telegram, Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of setting preconditions designed to stall negotiations and ensure that a ceasefire does not happen.
Meanwhile, President Putin has suggested Ukraine is desperate for a ceasefire to allow its own forces to regroup and rearm at a time when they are on the back foot and being forced out of the Kursk region after their incursion into Russian territory.
You can listen to Sitrep wherever you get your podcasts, including on the Forces News YouTube channel.
Join Our Newsletter
