Planned Peacekeepers in Ukraine Can Fire Back at Russians: Officials

British and other European troops sent to Ukraine after a ceasefire would be authorized to return fire if Russian forces attacked them, Western officials said.

The proposed force would have permission to counter Russian drone attacks despite a defensive mandate and plans to station personnel far from the front.

Deployment remains hypothetical and would follow a halt in hostilities.

“Clearly we will protect our forces against any aggression,” an official familiar with the preparations told The Guardian.

The rules would leave open the possibility of armed clashes between Russian and European personnel even after a ceasefire.

How Moscow would react to such encounters remains unclear.

European Force, Limited U.S. Role

Britain and France are leading preparations for a stabilization force that would operate outside NATO.

Its membership is expected to be almost entirely European, with little or no American support if it enters Ukraine.

Lt. Gen. Tom Bateman, its commander, said participating governments were committed “to providing robust and binding security guarantees for Ukraine following a cessation of hostilities.”

Helping Ukraine rebuild its armed forces would be a central task.

Plans also envisage fighter patrols to support the reopening of commercial airports and a Türkiye-led effort to remove Black Sea mines so grain shipments and other maritime commerce can resume.

President Donald Trump has ruled out sending U.S. troops for a peacekeeping mission under a lasting ceasefire agreement.

The European force is also being designed to function without reliance on American communications systems or technology, including Elon Musk’s Starlink.

“We are not dependent on U.S. systems,” an official said when asked about satellite communications.

That approach follows a roughly 10-day U.S. restriction last month on Ukraine’s access to Starshield, Starlink’s military version, which disrupted medium-range drone operations.

Poland Exercise Tests Deployment Plans

Exercise Koalicja, scheduled for later this month in Poland, will bring together 2,800 military personnel from 11 countries to test how quickly a multinational force could move into Ukraine.

France will contribute 1,500 troops from its 1st Division, while Britain will send 300 from the 7th Light Mechanized Brigade.

Poland, Germany, Belgium, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Türkiye will also participate.

The exercise will assess readiness, deployment speed and the ability of different armed forces to work together, following more than a year of planning.

Ceasefire Prospects Remain Uncertain

Diplomatic efforts this autumn have made little headway. U.S.-mediated talks involving Russia and Ukraine are planned for later this month, while both sides continue strikes on each other’s energy facilities.

The proposed mission’s defensive rules reflect the risk that a ceasefire would fail to end attacks.

Russian forces carried out repeated lower-level attacks during the ceasefire period between 2014 and 2022.