The UK and France will jointly lead the “Coalition of the Willing” exercise in Poland, involving troops from 11 countries, to practice the actions of a multinational force that could assist Ukraine after the end of hostilities.
This is stated in a message on the British government website.
Koalicja will be the first major exercise of the Multinational Force Ukraine, a military structure of the Coalition of the Willing. According to the plan, these forces can help restore the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and ensure security in the sky and at sea after the end of hostilities.
Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom will participate in the exercises, which will last from November 9 to 22. In total, this is about 2 800 military personnel.
They will train in the redeployment of personnel and equipment, supply, force management and interaction of units of different countries. Separately, they will practice aviation actions that could help guarantee flight safety in the future after the opening of Ukrainian airspace. For this, RAF “Typhoon” fighters and a “Voyager” tanker aircraft will be involved.
The Turkish military in Istanbul will also work on the maritime component — in particular, mine clearance, necessary for the safe return of commercial vessels to Ukrainian ports.
At the same time, the British government stressed that the multinational force will only be able to operate in Ukraine after the cessation of hostilities and at the request of the Ukrainian government. They will not perform peacekeeping functions or monitor the observance of the ceasefire.
- The “Coalition of the Willing” is an informal international alliance of over 30 states, founded in March 2025 at the initiative of the United Kingdom and France to support Ukraine and develop real security guarantees. The first large-scale military exercises of the “Coalition of the Willing” were reported in August by French President Emmanuel Macron.
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