Guardian: Western troops in Ukraine will be able to return fire

The Guardian, citing Western officials, reports that the proposed European contingent in Ukraine, after a ceasefire, would have the right to return fire. The scenario is to be rehearsed during the Koalicja exercises in Poland, but the deployment itself remains hypothetical.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 3 November 2026 at 13:082 min read

The key facts

British and European troops will be allowed to return fire if attacked by Russian forces — The Guardian, citing Western officials
The contingent is not supposed to act as a NATO mission and seeks to minimize dependence on American technology
The deployment remains hypothetical and depends on a ceasefire agreement; Moscow has previously called such a deployment unacceptable

Rules of engagement for a possible contingent

British and European troops, if they are potentially deployed to Ukraine after a ceasefire, will be allowed to return fire if attacked by Russian forces. This is reported by The Guardian, citing Western officials. “Obviously, we will protect our forces,” one official told the outlet, explaining the presumed rules of engagement.

Format and tasks of the forces

According to The Guardian, the proposed multinational contingent is planned to be formed mainly from service members of the United Kingdom and other European countries. It is not supposed to operate as a NATO mission and will seek to minimize dependence on American military technology and infrastructure. Among the possible tasks are assisting in rebuilding the Ukrainian army, patrolling airspace, and taking part in demining the Black Sea.

Exercises in Poland and the status of the scenario

The scenario is to be rehearsed in November during the Koalicja exercises in Poland, which will involve about 2,800 service members from European states. Meanwhile, the actual deployment of forces to Ukraine remains hypothetical and depends on the outcome of negotiations to end the conflict.

Moscow's position

Moscow has previously repeatedly spoken out against the appearance of a Western military contingent on Ukrainian territory. As Life.ru notes, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia considers the deployment of NATO countries' troops unacceptable even after the end of hostilities. Thus, the rules of engagement under discussion so far concern only a hypothetical scenario: there is neither a ceasefire agreement nor a decision to deploy the contingent, and the Russian side's position remains negative.