European force to hold first Ukraine support exercise in Poland

Some 2,800 troops from 10 European countries will this month stage in Poland the first exercise of a new multinational force in support of Ukraine, London and Paris said on Tuesday.

Led by France and the UK, the Multinational Force – Ukraine (MNF-U) has no offensive mission and is only to be deployed once a ceasefire is agreed to end the war sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The force, which was set up in 2025 and already has an operational headquarters in Paris, is not a NATO operation and has little US involvement.

It aims to support the Ukrainian armed forces, ensure security in Ukrainian skies and allow economic activity to resume in the Black Sea.

But the extent and duration of the exercise, dubbed Koalicja ("Coalition" in Polish), risks antagonising Russia, with Moscow still showing little appetite to settle for peace.

"The exercise will allow the testing of the speed and efficiency at which several nations can deploy forces on land, sea and air to support Ukraine once hostilities have finished," said the joint statement released by the French defence ministry.

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"This isn't a hypothetical plan, it's a real force, ready to help Ukraine once the fighting stops," UK Defence Minister Wes Streeting was quoted as saying in the UK statement.

The exercise is scheduled to last from November 9 to 22 in southeast Poland not far from the Ukrainian border, involving 2,800 troops.

The largest contingent of 1,100 troops will come from France, with the UK deploying 300 soldiers.

Light equipment deployed

The first exercise for the coalition force is "a key milestone, as it will serve as a concrete demonstration of the MNF-U's ability to be deployed as soon as hostilities have ended," said French General Armel Dirou, who will co-lead the exercise alongside Britain's Lieutenant General Tom Bateman.

It will involve troops from Belgium, Estonia, Germany, France, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK in air and land operations around the town of Nowa Deba, some 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of the Ukrainian border, the joint statement said.

Meanwhile, a maritime simulation will be led by Turkey from Istanbul to test preparedness for eventual mine-clearing operations in the Black Sea. Turkish troops will not be involved in the land exercise in Poland, it added.

Bateman emphasised that the force is not a "peacekeeping or ceasefire monitoring mission".

"It is not designed for offensive operations. Its purpose is to provide reassurance and support the regeneration of Ukraine's armed forces, strengthening their ability to deter and, if necessary, defend against future Russian aggression," he said.

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Nevertheless, Moscow will be watching closely as the war – which has now lasted longer than World War I – grinds towards its five-year milestone with neither side apparently close to a decisive breakthrough.

Dirou said that the aim of the exercise was to prepare how the mission would be deployed, overcoming the various potential logistical and cultural issues between the different countries' militaries.

"This is not a show of force. We are not going to flex our muscles," he said.

It is expected that only light equipment, such as drones, will be deployed in Poland for anti-drone and self-defence exercises, rather than heavy weaponry, and that no tanks will be deployed.

Aspects tested in the exercise will include coordination arrangements, rehearsing the movement of personnel, equipment and supplies, and assessing whether the different components can integrate and operate effectively as one multinational force, said Bateman.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)