Hundreds of British troops to rehearse Ukraine mission in major Poland wargame

Hundreds of British troops will head to Poland next month to rehearse deploying to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, in the first exercise of its kind preparing for a postwar multinational peacekeeping effort, The Times reports.

At least 1,500 British, French and German troops will take part alongside Polish forces, simulating the movement of troops and logistical supplies such as food and fuel. The wargame was first agreed at a Paris “coalition of the willing” summit in July. A defence source said personnel would rehearse a scenario in which “multinational troops are together in an area”.

The announcement was made by Defence Secretary Wes Streeting in Washington after his first face-to-face meeting with US counterpart Pete Hegseth. “Next month thousands of personnel will take part in a major exercise in Poland to ensure we are ready to support the military training and post-war rebuilding that Ukraine will need,” Streeting said. He added: “Ukraine is the front line for freedom everywhere, and it’s absolutely vital that they prevail against Putin’s aggression. We’re planning for the peace and freedom we want to see through our leadership of the coalition of the willing.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the British and French presence “crucial” to preparing the coalition to provide Ukraine and central and eastern Europe with security guarantees. Separately, Chief of the General Staff Sir Roly Walker told 700 soldiers at Catterick Garrison that Britain would need them given the “extreme jeopardy in the world at the moment”, warning the public must “consent to sacrifices” to bolster defence.

The announcement came as President Trump declined to say whether Vladimir Putin started the war and denied US responsibility for the disruption to Kyiv’s Starlink access, PA News Agency reports.