Trainee Ukrainian soldiers training in the UK under Operation Interflex. Credit: Crown copyright/UK Ministry of Defence.
  • The UK Defence Committee scrutinised the will of other nations to send troops to Ukraine following the commitment made by the UK and France in the Paris Declaration
  • However the UK Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) said he is “certain” other nations will also deploy troops as part of the Multinational Force
  • These particular allies are part of the Coalition of the Willing, he said, and they are already “fully involved” in the planning of security guarantees

Following the Paris Declaration last week, committing British and French troops to Ukraine to uphold any future peace deal with Russia, the UK CDS, Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton, expects other allies to commit their own troops to the Multinational Force.

“Leadership is with the UK and France… but I’m absolutely certain that other nations will make those commitments” including military intervention but also other reconstruction and strategic sustainability measures to support Ukraine in the long term.

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The CDS expressed his certainty of a growing Multinational Force for Ukraine during a parliamentary Defence Committee session today (12 January) in which members scrutinised the will of other nations to send troops to Ukraine following the Paris Declaration.

What will the Multinational Force look like?

Little to nothing has been agreed about what this Multinational Force will look like, how it will operate together on Ukrainian territory, or for how long, at least publicly.

This has led defence observers to call on the Coalition to determine a more precise model and doctrine, particularly when it comes to rules of engagement against Russian forces.

If his assurance is to be believed, it will help to fill gaps left by Britain’s limited force projection. Mobilising a military presence in the war-torn country would stretch the UK’s personnel and resources too thinly.

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To make matters worse, the government lacks the wherewithal to meet its strategic aims and acquire the materiel, all of which was meant to be published in the belated Defence Investment Plan at the end of 2025.

The CDS was unable to specify which particular countries he expects to mobilise in the same circumstances as the UK and France. However, Knighton did suggest that the nations he had in mind are part of the Coalition of the Willing, and were already “fully involved” in the planning that took place at the operational headquarters in Paris.

Still, the CDS acknowledged, “you’ll recognise that lots of different nations have different legal policies for deploying their forces and they will need to be settled, but I’m absolutely certain others will join [the Multinational Force]”.

Army Technology contacted the ministries of defence for Estonia and Germany to ascertain their national perspectives and the likelihood of their contribution to the Multinational Force but received no response at the time of publishing.