Coalition of the willing must be robust' to deal with Russia, warns ex-US general

"Ben Hodges said the proposed multinational force, discussed this week by the British and French leaders with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris, had to be robust enough to deal with likely Kremlin-orchestrated provocations. The coalition of the willing has to have real force and rules of engagement that allow it to immediately react and respond to any violations, he said. Captains can't be having to call back to Paris or London to find out how to deal with a Russian drone."

"Anybody who believes that Russia will live up to any agreement is not being realistic a reference in part to the period between 2014 and 2022 when there were repeated violations of the old ceasefire lines in Ukraine. At least, British and French troops would need to be able to defend themselves from drones and other forms of attack, Hodges said, as it would be very likely that Russia will immediately test their responsiveness."

"Russian forces, the former general added, have to look over there and say these guys are serious, not parked in a barracks somewhere near Lviv. So far there is not enough detail to judge. Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron reiterated a commitment to deploy ground troops to Ukraine in Paris on Tuesday by signing a declaration of intent with Zelenskyy."

An Anglo-French stabilisation force for Ukraine would need thousands of combat troops and robust rules of engagement to deter post-war Russian ceasefire breaches. The coalition must have immediate-reaction authority so field commanders can respond to provocations without seeking permission from London or Paris. Russia is unlikely to honor agreements given repeated ceasefire violations between 2014 and 2022, so deployed troops must defend against drones and other attacks and present a credible, visibly forward posture. Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron signed a declaration of intent with Volodymyr Zelenskyy committing to ground, air and naval components. The multinational force would work closely with Ukraine's 600,000-strong army to retrain and rebuild, though operational details and political consensus remain incomplete.

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