ZURICH, November 04 (AJP) -Europe is stepping up preparations for a possible postwar deployment to Ukraine as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seeks stronger military backing ahead of U.S.-mediated talks with Russia next week.
Zelenskyy met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Tuesday to discuss air defense, winter energy supplies and diplomatic coordination. Britain and France meanwhile announced an exercise involving about 2,800 troops from 11 countries to rehearse a potential deployment once hostilities end.
The preparations came against a grim reminder of the distance between diplomatic efforts and conditions on the ground.
Zelenskyy said Tuesday that the death toll from Russian airstrikes on Komyshuvakha in southeastern Ukraine had risen to 33, with more than 50 people potentially still beneath the rubble.
The strikes on Monday hit a school being used to distribute humanitarian aid in the Zaporizhzhia region.
In Berlin, Merz reaffirmed Germany’s support and pledged further winter and energy assistance this year. Zelenskyy said the discussions covered shortages of air defense missiles, including PAC-2, PAC-3 and IRIS-T systems, as well as support for Ukraine’s F-16 fleet.
Merz said Russia needed to demonstrate that it was serious about negotiating a ceasefire and a subsequent peace agreement. “I do not see that happening so far,” he said.
Representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the United States are expected to meet in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10 and 11. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said the discussions would address postwar security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and further steps toward peace.
Zelenskyy said he hoped the working-level negotiations would open the way to a meeting of leaders. He also stressed that Europe must help shape any settlement, with separate discussions involving Ukraine, the United States, European representatives and NATO planned in Brussels on Wednesday.
Merz urged allies to fulfill an existing NATO commitment to provide 70 billion euros in military support for Ukraine in 2026.
Alongside the diplomatic push, European governments are testing how a multinational force could move into Ukraine, sustain its operations and help rebuild the country’s armed forces after the fighting stops.
Exercise Koalicja will run from Nov. 9 to 22 in Poland. France will provide the largest contingent of about 1,100 personnel, while Britain will contribute around 300. Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Türkiye will also participate.
The exercise will test command arrangements and the movement of troops, equipment and supplies. British Typhoon fighters and a Voyager refueling aircraft will rehearse operations intended to support the eventual reopening of Ukrainian airspace.
“This exercise shows the UK is stepping up, alongside France and our allies, to prepare for the day peace comes to Ukraine,” British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said.
The Multinational Force-Ukraine is the military component of the Coalition of the Willing, a group of 35 countries established in March 2025. The force itself was formally established in January 2026, according to Britain’s Ministry of Defence.
It operates separately from NATO and would enter Ukraine only at Kyiv’s invitation, after hostilities end and the necessary political and military conditions are met. Its proposed tasks include strengthening Ukrainian forces, supporting safer airspace and helping clear mines in the Black Sea.
It would not conduct peacekeeping or ceasefire-monitoring duties. Its purpose would be to help Ukraine deter another attack—a security arrangement being prepared while an end to the current war remains uncertain.
- Tags: Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Friedrich Merz, Vladimir Putin, Steve Witkoff, Vladimir Medinsky, Wes Streeting, NATO, Coalition of the Willing, Multinational Force for Ukraine, Poland, Abu Dhabi, peace talks
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