British High Officer Leads Voluntary Coalition for Ukraine

European Coalition for Ukraine/DOK X @ZelenskyyUa

JAKARTA - A high-ranking officer from the British Army, Lieutenant General Thomas Julian Bateman, has been appointed to replace his French counterpart as the commander of the Coalition of Volunteers for Ukraine.

"A senior British officer today has taken command of the multinational force that will be deployed to Ukraine after the fighting ends. In a ceremony in Paris today, Friday, Lieutenant General Tom Bateman took over command of the Ukrainian Multinational Force (MNF-U) from his French counterpart," according to a statement from the British Ministry of Defense on Friday, July 24, reported by ANTARA from Sputnik.

Bateman said serving in the position was an honor and he pledged to continue to work closely with partners in Ukraine and internationally.

"We will continue to work closely with our partners in Ukraine and international partners to prepare forces that will help bring about a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," Bateman said in the statement.

The handover was an agenda that had been planned between Britain and France, because the two countries shared leadership in the "coalition of willing countries".

The "Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine" was initiated by France and the United Kingdom in February 2025 to support Ukraine's sovereignty by maintaining a ceasefire in the country. About 35 countries have joined the initiative.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the "Coalition of the Willing" a coalition of war seekers. According to Peskov, the coalition is a group of countries that do not want peace.