Thousands of troops from Europe to rehearse post-war Ukraine deployment in Poland

Around 2,800 troops from 10 European countries will stage the first exercise of a new multinational force in support of Ukraine in Poland later this month, London and Paris said on Tuesday. Led by France and the UK, the multinational force Ukraine has no offensive mission and is only to be deployed once a ceasefire is agreed to end the war sparked by Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion. 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 airspace and allow economic activity to resume in the Black Sea. But the extent and duration of the exercise risks antagonizing Russia, with Moscow still showing little appetite to settle for peace. The exercise is scheduled to last from November the 9th till November the 22nd in south-east Poland, not far from the Ukrainian border. French General Armelle Diroux 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.