UK, French paratroopers prepare for possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine – media

Over 600 British and French paratroopers have completed final preparations for a possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, The Telegraph reported on Friday.

More than 600 soldiers from the UK's 16 Air Assault Brigade carried out a mock airborne raid with comrades from France’s 11th Parachute Brigade, the newspaper said. This came weeks after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated that the United Kingdom and France would lead a peacekeeping force in Ukraine if a ceasefire agreement were reached between Moscow and Kyiv.

It is noted that although the units that could be deployed in such an operation have not yet been officially announced, soldiers of the 16 Air Assault Brigade are part of Britain's rapid reaction forces and are capable of being deployed by NATO at short notice.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the United Kingdom and France have committed to sending 5,000 troops each to Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement with Russia.

However, doubts have arisen about the UK's ability to field such a force, as the army has been reduced to around 70,000 personnel, its smallest size in 200 years.

According to the newspaper, the British prime minister was warned this week that in order to meet this target, the UK would have to withdraw troops from Estonia and Cyprus to send a fully equipped brigade to Ukraine.

Around 2,000 British and French service members are taking part in Exercise Orion, a test mission to support a NATO ally facing an insurgency and a threat of invasion, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The nine-day airborne exercise began on February 24 with troops dropping from Royal Air Force and French Air Force transport aircraft, after which they dug in and established defensive positions. The forces will repel simulated attacks and then conduct ambushes and assaults on enemy forces as part of drills designed to prepare them for the realities of 21st-century conflicts.

They neutralized enemy air defense assets and marked a landing zone for the main force, where soldiers from the second Battalion, Parachute Regiment landed alongside two French battle groups.

The exercise will run until March 3.