PARIS, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The Multinational Force for Ukraine (MNFU) will conduct joint military exercises in countries neighboring Ukraine "in the coming months," French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday.
Macron unveiled the plan at a joint press conference following a summit of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris.
According to Macron, the MNFU will be tasked with providing security guarantees for Ukraine following a future cessation of hostilities with Russia. The force will be "deployed at sea, in the air, and on Ukrainian soil once a ceasefire is reached, and will serve a purely defensive purpose," he added.
He said the planned exercises aim to validate the deployment plans, reiterating that the "first pillar" of security guarantees for Ukraine will remain the Ukrainian military.
Also at the press conference, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said some 25 countries are ready to participate in the MNFU.
The Coalition of the Willing, led jointly by France and Britain, comprises about 30 countries, most of them European, that have pledged support for Ukraine.
Russia has dismissed the alliance as a "coalition of warmongers." Reacting to Monday's announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the coalition's belief that Russia might be defeated was a "profound delusion." ■