Britain and France to lead 2,800-troop Poland drill for post-war Ukraine force

Britain and France will lead a large military exercise in Poland this month to test whether a multinational force could be sent into Ukraine if a peace agreement is reached, the BBC reported.

Exercise Koalicja will run from 9 to 22 November and involve some 2,800 military personnel operating on land, at sea and in the air. It will rehearse how such a force would be moved, protected and supplied, and whether commanders can make troops from different countries work together smoothly.

UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the drill showed Britain, France and their allies were accelerating preparations for the moment peace arrives. “This is not a hypothetical plan, it’s a real force, ready to help Ukraine once the fighting stops,” he was quoted as saying. Lt Gen Tom Bateman, the British commander of the Multi National Force – Ukraine, described the exercise as an important step in turning political commitments into credible military readiness.

What the drill covers

Britain is contributing 300 troops and a pair of RAF Typhoon jets. According to the BBC, the aircraft will simulate how they would reassure commercial airliners once Ukraine’s airspace can be reopened. Turkey has agreed to lead the maritime strand, whose eventual aim is to clear mines and let trade resume in the Black Sea.

Personnel will come from the UK, France, Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Turkey. The idea of a reassurance force was set out last year as one of several long-term security guarantees proposed by European states.

Limits and open questions

Western officials stressed to the BBC that the force would not take part in offensive operations and would not serve as a peacekeeping or ceasefire-monitoring mission. It would not operate on the front line or under NATO command. Its purpose, they said, would be to reassure Ukraine and help rebuild its armed forces. The United States has joined the discussions but is not contributing troops.

Officials declined to detail the rules of engagement if foreign soldiers came under attack, although they said the force could defend itself. They also could not say what its final size and shape would be. Military experts have in the past suggested that Western countries might need to send tens of thousands of troops to guarantee Ukraine’s security, while officials acknowledged that national contributions would hinge on the circumstances of any halt in fighting and on individual political decisions.

Russia has already rejected the idea. Last year President Vladimir Putin said foreign troops in Ukraine would be “legitimate targets”. The BBC noted that Moscow has shown no sign of wanting to end the war.

What remains unclear

The BBC said more questions than answers remain about how the force would function in practice, including what training role Western troops could play for a Ukrainian army hardened by combat. Ukrainian soldiers are already in demand as instructors for NATO forces, passing on their experience of drone warfare. For now, the exercise in Poland is intended as a test of readiness for a peace that has not yet materialised.