In November, around 1,500 European service personnel will hold exercises in Poland, during which they will rehearse the deployment of troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire agreement with Russia.
This is reported by The Times.
According to the newspaper, the drills will be the first of their kind. Their aim is to prepare for a possible post-war scenario in which the presence of European forces in Ukraine would serve as a deterrent.
The manoeuvres will involve at least 1,500 British, French and German service personnel, as well as the Polish armed forces. The troops will train to move units and provide their logistics as part of a multinational peacekeeping operation.
A source in the UK Ministry of Defence said participants would rehearse a scenario in which “multinational forces are together in a particular area”. No further details were disclosed.
According to a senior Polish official, the exercises are intended to demonstrate the unity of Europe’s leading military powers in the face of the threat from Russia and to reaffirm the need for continued support for Ukraine.
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting also confirmed preparations for the manoeuvres. During a visit to Washington, he said that next month thousands of troops would take part in large-scale exercises in Poland to prepare to support military training and Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.