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Britain and France to Police Ukraine's Skies and Seas with New Multinational Force

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

As part of a newly scaled-back proposal, Britain and France will lead a multinational force to police Ukraine's skies and seas in the event of a ceasefire deal being signed with Russia. The force, also known as the "Multinational Force Ukraine", will be headquartered in Paris for the first year of operations, before being rotated to London. The coalition, which includes the United States, has put plans for a large-scale deployment on hold, citing the lack of manpower pledges and fears it could provoke Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. Instead, the focus will be on providing arms shipments to Ukraine, with countries involved agreeing to prioritize support for Ukraine's forces.

Key Takeaways:

  • Britain and France will lead a multinational force to police Ukraine's skies and seas in the event of a ceasefire deal being signed with Russia.
  • The force, known as the "Multinational Force Ukraine", will be headquartered in Paris for the first year of operations, before being rotated to London.
  • The coalition has put plans for a large-scale deployment on hold, citing the lack of manpower pledges and fears it could provoke Vladimir Putin.
  • Instead, the focus will be on providing arms shipments to Ukraine, with countries involved agreeing to prioritize support for Ukraine's forces.
  • A joint statement from coalition countries said they had "agreed that, while Russia's aggression continues," they "would prioritise making sure that Ukraine gets the military and financial support it needs to defend itself in the fight now."
  • Germany is in talks with the US to buy a Patriot air-defence system to give to Ukraine, and the US secretary of state has called out European countries for holding on to their unused Patriot batteries instead of donating them to Kyiv.
  • The renewed emphasis on the air-defence system comes after the US president agreed to restart deliveries of US weapons to Ukraine.

Sources:

  • The Telegraph
  • Reuters
  • JENS BUTTNER/AFP via Getty Images
  • Leon Neal/via REUTERS
  • US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio
  • Germany's Chancellor, Friedrich Merz
  • Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky
  • British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer
  • French President, Emmanuel Macron

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