Coalition of the willing must be ‘robust’ to deal with Russia, warns ex-US general

Ben Hodges says multinational force to aid Ukraine would need thousands of troops to stop Russia breaking ceasefire

An Anglo-French led stabilisation force for Ukraine would have to deploy thousands of combat troops if it is to successfully dissuade Russia from breaking a post-war ceasefire, according to a former commanding general of the US army in Europe.

Ben Hodges said the proposed multinational force, discussed this week by the British and French leaders with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris, had to be robust enough to deal with likely Kremlin-orchestrated provocations.