Joint Expeditionary Force launches enhanced partnership with Ukraine

Defence ministers of the northern European multinational Joint Expeditionary Force have met with their Ukrainian counterparts in Norway to launch an enhanced partnership with Ukraine.

The partnership with Ukraine is seen as a milestone in strengthening Euro-Atlantic security in the Nordic-Baltic region.

"This is a powerful signal to Putin and any other would-be aggressors that JEF is stronger than ever. More united than ever, more innovative than ever, more flexible in our operational responses than ever," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.

Established in 2014, JEF is a UK-led multinational force comprising 10 European countries.

Seeking to learn from Ukraine's battlefield experience, the coalition will deliver training to the Ukrainian armed forces and collaborate on protecting critical underwater infrastructure, drones, battlefield medicine, and methods to counter disinformation.

"From partners including JEF countries, Ukraine seeks access to European technologies and production capacities on the basis of which we could launch joint manufacturing", Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

"This modern weaponry will not only defend Ukraine now, it will guarantee Europe's security for years to come and reliably protect its eastern flank from permanent Russian aggression," Shmyhal added.

The meeting follows the conclusion last week of Tarassis, the coalition's largest-ever military operation. The two-month-long operation across the Nordic-Baltic region mobilised more than 1,700 British personnel alongside JEF allies.

Following reports of undersea cable damage in the Baltic Sea earlier this year, the multinational defence force activated a reaction system called Nordic Warden to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and monitor the Russian shadow fleet.