Europe plans first drills for potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine
European troops prepare to defend Ukraine (photo: Facebook/NATO)
The first military exercises to rehearse the deployment of peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, should Kyiv and Moscow agree to a ceasefire, will take place in Poland in November, according to The Times.
The outlet says around 1,500 troops from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Poland will take part in the drills.
They will practice moving personnel and organizing logistics for a peacekeeping mission, including supplying troops with food and fuel.
A source at the UK Ministry of Defense, cited by the publication, says the exercises will simulate a scenario in which multinational forces operate together in one area. However, the source did not disclose any further details.
The drills were approved in July at a Paris summit of the Coalition of the Willing, a group of countries providing military and financial support to Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
As The Times emphasizes, these will be the first exercises in which European troops rehearse a scenario in which they are present in Ukraine to deter Russia.
Media reports have also revealed how many peacekeepers Western countries could deploy to Ukraine.
Poland has also settled the question of sending peacekeepers to Ukraine.
