Senior British Officer Leads Voluntary Coalition for Ukraine

A senior British Army officer, Lieutenant General Thomas Julian Bateman, has been appointed to replace his French counterpart as commander of the Voluntary Coalition contingent for Ukraine. In a ceremony in Paris on Friday, Lt Gen Tom Bateman took over command of the Multinational Force Ukraine (MNF-U) from his French colleague, according to a statement from the UK Ministry of Defence. Bateman said it was an honour to serve in the position and pledged to continue working closely with Ukrainian and international partners. “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 a planned agenda item between the UK and France, as the two countries share leadership of the “coalition of the willing”. The “Voluntary Coalition for Ukraine” was initiated by France and the UK in February 2025 to support Ukraine’s sovereignty by maintaining a ceasefire in the country. Approximately 35 countries have joined the initiative. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the “Voluntary Coalition” as a coalition of war seekers. According to Peskov, the coalition is a group of countries that do not want peace.