Around 3,000 troops from countries participating in the “Coalition of the Willing” are expected to take part in military exercises in Poland as part of preparations for a possible deployment to Ukraine following a ceasefire agreement with Russia.
According to the British newspaper The Times, the Multinational Force for Ukraine (MNF-U) could be deployed on the ground within a month of the signing of a peace agreement.
Western officials describe the mission as defensive but emphasise that soldiers would be authorised to return fire if Russian forces attack the international contingent.
However, the number of troops expected to participate could be significantly lower than what Ukraine considers necessary to guarantee its security and deter another Russian attack.
Initially, British military officials had proposed deploying approximately 64,000 troops to Ukraine, a figure far higher than the contingent of around 3,000 soldiers expected to take part in the exercises in Poland.
