British troops are set to take part in a major Nato wargame to rehearse deploying to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting revealed the exercise during his inaugural trip to Washington DC in the role, describing it as part of efforts to ensure Nato allies can deliver security guarantees to Kyiv once hostilities conclude.
The drill, which will also involve French, German, and Polish troops, was first agreed to at a Coalition of the Willing summit in July.
The announcement came as President Donald Trump deepened divisions with European partners by declining to acknowledge that Vladimir Putin initiated the conflict in Ukraine.
Speaking from the US capital, Mr Streeting declared: “Ukraine is the front line for freedom everywhere, and it’s absolutely vital that they prevail against Putin’s aggression.”
He added: “We’re planning for the peace and freedom we want to see through our leadership of the coalition of the willing.”
The Defence Secretary went on to say: “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.”
According to The Times, the exercise will rehearse the logistics of transporting troops alongside essential supplies, including food and fuel, into a post-conflict Ukraine.
The wargame forms a central plank of Britain’s efforts to lead the European coalition backing Kyiv’s long-term security.
President Trump, meanwhile, put himself sharply at odds with Britain and other Nato members by sidestepping questions about whether Putin bore responsibility for launching the war through his 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“I know the details, OK, and at some point I’ll release the details,” the US president said, before adding: “But I don’t care anything except for one. I want that war ended.”
His remarks, delivered as he departed the White House for a campaign rally in Georgia, followed a fresh broadside against President Zelensky, whom he described as “not a big fan” and characterised as “more difficult to deal with than Putin”.
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The US President had previously called for new Ukrainian leadership and asserted that the Russian leader was keener to reach a peace agreement.
President Zelensky, who was attending a Brussels summit on Friday, appeared to accept the notion that Mr Trump was using him as a convenient scapegoat for surging fuel costs, prices that have in reality been driven upwards by the Iran conflict launched by the US and Israel in February.
With crucial American elections approaching next month, Mr Trump has increasingly pointed to Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure as the cause of rising energy prices, rather than the disruption to Middle Eastern oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
During a visit to London earlier in the week, Mr Zelensky had accused the US president of betraying Ukraine by restricting access to American-made Starlink satellite terminals, which are critical to the country’s military operations.
Mr Trump flatly rejected the allegation: “We didn’t do that. We didn’t slow it down at all.”
The growing rift between Washington and its allies was further compounded by Mr Trump’s recent agreement to purchase Russian diesel.
The deal has drawn fierce criticism both domestically and internationally over fears it will effectively bankroll Putin’s military campaign in Ukraine.
Britain and the vast majority of Nato nations have consistently held the Kremlin responsible for the conflict, which began when Putin ordered his forces across the Ukrainian border in 2022.
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