UK and European peacekeepers in Ukraine would be allowed to fire back
newsNov 3, 20261844
Western officials say an Anglo-French led stabilisation force proposed for Ukraine would be allowed to fire back if attacked, though engagement would be “defensive in nature,” an official said. The plan emerged as the UK and France set out Exercise Koalicja, an 11-country rehearsal in Poland later this month involving 2,800 soldiers, sailors and aviators; France is providing 1,500 troops from its 1st Division and Britain 300 from the 7th Light Mechanised Brigade. Lt Gen Tom Bateman, commander of the force, said the UK, France and other European countries are committed to providing “robust and binding security guarantees for Ukraine following a cessation of hostilities” and that the exercise tests plans developed for more than a year. The force is intended to operate well away from the front and to help “regenerate and strengthen” Ukraine’s military after a war, Bateman said. Officials said the multinational stabilisation force would be non-NATO and is expected to have little to no US support if deployed, with care taken not to depend on US systems such as Elon Musk’s Starlink. The proposal remains hypothetical pending a ceasefire, and officials noted Russia’s history of low-level attacks during ceasefires from 2014 to 2022 and recent disruptions such as brief hacks of air-raid apps and temporary U.S. restrictions on Starshield that affected Ukrainian drone missions.
