Ukraine: Multinational Force exercise gets underway in Poland. Italia is not taking part
2,800 military personnel are involved. Led by the Coalition of the Willing, France and the United Kingdom are in charge of strategic and operational command
Key points
The Coalition of the Willing, which politically supports Ukraine in the face of Russia’s attack, is also preparing on the military front in the event that a ceasefire agreement is reached between Kyiv and Moscow, and the Ukrainian government requests a presence of European troops on the ground to monitor compliance with the agreement. It is doing so in Poland, where a Multinational Force – Ukraine (MNF-U) exercise is taking place from 9 to 22 November.
“This exercise will demonstrate that the Multinational Force for Ukraine is a real, efficient and rapidly deployable force, representing a serious commitment by the nations of the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ to Ukraine’s long-term stability and security,” said the Commander of the Multinational Force in Ukraine, Lieutenant General Tom Bateman. “The MNF-U will become increasingly ready every day to support Ukraine once the fighting has ended, ensuring that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are in the strongest possible position to deter future aggression,” he added.
11 countries are taking part (Italia is not among them)
Military personnel from eleven European countries (Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and, indeed, Poland) are taking part in what is an initiative of particular strategic importance for European security, known as “KOALICJA 26.2”. Italia is not taking part. Operations are taking place mainly in the south-east of the country, and this is the first time an exercise has been held in that area.
The MNF-U is the military component of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, spearheaded primarily by France and the United Kingdom. It was conceived to intervene in Ukraine only after hostilities have ceased and at the request of the Ukrainian government, should the necessary political and military conditions be met. It is not a force operating under the NATO umbrella and was not conceived as a peacekeeping or ceasefire monitoring mission. Furthermore, its potential deployment to Ukraine is not automatic: it would require an end to hostilities and a political decision.
2,800 military personnel involved
The aim is to assess the participating countries’ ability to organise and deploy a multinational force capable of contributing to Ukraine’s security once hostilities have ceased. It is therefore not an exercise designed to take military action against Russia whilst the war is still ongoing. Around 2,800 military personnel are taking part.
