About 2,800 troops from 11 countries are taking part in Exercise Koalicja 26.2 in Poland from November 9 to 22, rehearsing a possible postwar deployment to Ukraine.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
Some 2,800 troops from 11 European countries are taking part in a multinational military exercise in Poland, the first major exercise by the Coalition of the Willing. The exercise, called Koalicja 26.2, runs from November 9 to 22 and is jointly led by Britain and France.
The drills involve land, air and naval forces, as well as elements of the space forces of France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Estonia, Spain, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Germany, Sweden, Turkey and Poland, according to Poland’s Ministry of National Defence. American troops will not participate.
Britain is sending around 300 military personnel and several fighter jets. France will provide approximately 1,000 soldiers and deploy short-range surveillance drones as well as counter-drone systems. The German Armed Forces will take part by providing approximately ten staff officers, in-flight refuelling aircraft and logistical support. Poland is the main host of the exercise and will additionally deploy around 2,000 soldiers to provide logistical support for the exercise participants. Turkey will not send troops to Poland but will stand up the MNF-U’s maritime element in Istanbul.
The aim is to prepare European forces for a possible deployment to Ukraine after hostilities end. The drills will test how to move, protect and supply a force that would help rebuild Ukraine’s Armed Forces once the fighting ends, according to a British Ministry of Defence statement.
The training will prepare troops for missions that could include securing critical infrastructure, training Ukraine’s military, helping protect the skies and clearing mines from the Black Sea, according to the French ministry’s statement. The drills will also test command-and-control arrangements for the force and assess how different components can integrate and operate effectively as one multinational force.
The MNF-U will reportedly not have a peacekeeping or ceasefire-monitoring mandate or operate under NATO command. It would move into Ukraine only after a ceasefire and at Kyiv’s request.
British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: “This exercise shows the UK is stepping up, alongside France and our allies, to prepare for the day peace comes to Ukraine. This isn’t a hypothetical plan; it’s a real force, ready to help Ukraine once the fighting stops.”
British Lt. Gen. Tom Bateman, commander of MNF-U, said: “This exercise will show that the Multinational Force-Ukraine is a real, capable, readily deployable force that represents a serious commitment from Coalition of the Willing nations to Ukraine’s long-term stability and security.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “Peace has no alternative, and postwar security guarantees must be truly cast-iron.”
The exercise is a rehearsal for a multinational force that could deploy to Ukraine after a ceasefire, at Kyiv’s request, to support Ukraine’s armed forces and long-term security. Russia has rejected allowing a foreign troop presence in Ukraine, and President Vladimir Putin warned in September 2025 that Western forces deployed there would be legitimate targets.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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