In brief
On November 9, the Coalition of the Willing, composed of 11 European countries and co‑directed by Polish and Turkish units, began a 13‑day military drill in Poland to test deployment plans and signal its credibility to Russia. European officials urge a role in Abu Dhabi peace talks, while Russia warns that any foreign forces in Ukraine would be legitimate targets. The exercise underscores the unclear extent of Europe’s influence in the negotiations and whether the coalition will see post‑conflict action on Ukrainian soil.
On Monday, November 9, the Britain‑ and France‑led Coalition of the Willing launched a large‑scale military exercise in Poland to prepare for a possible deployment to Ukraine after hostilities end, as European officials press for a seat in upcoming peace talks. Codename “KOALICJA 26.2,” the drill ran from Nov. 9‑22 and involved about 2,800 military personnel from 11 countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Poland.
The exercise aims to test command‑and‑control arrangements, rehearse the movement of personnel, equipment and supplies, and assess how different units can operate together as a multinational force, according to the British Ministry of Defence. "This isn’t a hypothetical plan, it’s a real force, ready to help Ukraine once the fighting stops," British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said in a statement released before the drill began.
Directed from its operational headquarters in Paris, the multinational force’s land and air components are positioned around Nowa Deba in southeastern Poland, roughly 100 km from the Ukrainian border. Separate Turkish units are conducting maritime mine‑clearance tests in Istanbul. The Coalition of the Willing, a group set up in 2025 that now includes over 30 countries—mostly European—does not involve the United States.
Poland’s Defence Ministry, which hosts the main part of the exercise and provides logistical support, said it does not plan to send troops to Ukraine after the conflict ends. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meanwhile stated that the European Union would be present in the Abu Dhabi talks that are scheduled to resume between Russia, the United States, and Ukraine on Tuesday. Russia has claimed that such negotiations should involve only its core parties and has warned that any foreign military presence in Ukraine would be a legitimate target.
"Any foreign military units deployed in Ukraine would be regarded as legitimate targets," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned on Saturday.
The statement from Zakharova underscores how the exercise is perceived by Russia as a potential threat. While the drill showcases the coalition’s ability to coordinate across borders, the exact format of European participation in the peace talks remains unclear. Moreover, it is unknown whether the multinational force will be deployed to Ukraine after the war, what role the United States might still play, and how Russia will react to the coalition’s growing influence on the future of Ukraine’s security landscape.
