UK's Carrier Strike Group Joins NATO Forces in Largest Military Exercise Since Generation

The UK will take part in a massive military exercise together with over 20,000 NATO personnel, indicating the largest in a generation.

The Carrier Strike Group of the Royal Navy, under the command of HMS Prince of Wales, was accompanied by over 30 ships, four submarines, and various aircraft from nations such as Canada, Denmark, France, and Spain.

NATO's Military Exercises

BURGAS, BULGARIA - JULY 22: Bulgarian Corvette Reshitelni fires an air missile, during the military exercise Sea Breezeon July 22, 2022 in Burgas, Bulgaria. Hungarian ships exercise in the Black Sea as part of Exercise Breeze. Some 14 countries with 30 ships and 2,065 personnel from Albania, Belgium, Great Britain, Georgia, Greece, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Romania, USA, Turkey, and Ukraine took part in the exercise.
(Photo : Hristo Rusev/Getty Images)

Pavel said that there would be no legal obstacle to NATO member nations sending help in Ukraine, including both military troops and civilians. This would be in compliance with international law and the United Nations Charter.

The annexation of Crimea by Russia and the support of separatist violence in the eastern Donbas area in 2014 were instances that led to the formation of a training mission within Ukraine by NATO, which was underlined by Pavel.

When asked about his stance on a potential renewed deployment, the president expressed openness to debating the matter.

"I would certainly not dismiss discussion on this matter," he remarked, proposing an alternative approach wherein rather than training Ukrainian soldiers on the territory of NATO member states and deploying thousands of troops to neighboring countries like Poland or the Czech Republic, it would be more practical to send a limited number of instructors to Ukraine for training purposes.

Macron's Troop Proposal Raises NATO Concerns

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron caused unease among some NATO allies recently by suggesting the deployment of allied troops to Ukraine for support and advisory roles. Subsequent intelligence leaks from Germany hinted at the involvement of British and French personnel in Ukraine, assisting Kyiv in directing its Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missile strikes.

However, cautious partners are concerned that such a NATO deployment might further increase relations with Moscow. The Kremlin has stated that such a deployment could end in a direct conflict between the two adversaries.

Pavel, recognized for his strong position on Russia within the alliance, rejected the idea of differentiating between essential Western material assistance and sending ground troops.

"Presently, we are not merely supplying Ukraine with basic armaments; we are providing tanks, and potentially aircraft and medium-range cruise missiles, all without provoking an attack on NATO territory," he emphasized.

Additionally, there have been reports of 3,000 Swedish soldiers, 450 from France, and approximately 50 British personnel stationed on Finnish territory.

Even though the activities are set to end on March 15, there is an expected rise in activity before then. Finland's newly-inaugurated president, Alexander Stubb, decided to attend the exercises in Norway as his initial official foreign engagement, straying from the usual visits to Sweden and Estonia.

Stubb clarified the multinational exercises as a warning to Russia, advising against any possible aggression towards allied nations in the region, RCI reported.