Coalition of the Willing military exercises begin in Poland to prepare support for postwar Ukraine

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Thousands of soldiers from 11 countries began military exercises in Poland today. They are the first organised by the so-called Coalition of the Willing, with the aim of preparing for a role in supporting Ukraine following a potential future peace deal with Russia.

The manoeuvres, which are being jointly led by France and the UK, are taking place in Nowa Dęba, around 100 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, and will last until 22 November.

The development has been condemned by Russia, which says it shows that Western countries are ignoring Moscow’s “legitimate security concerns” and “fueling the spiral of escalation”.​

The plans were first announced in July by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk following a summit of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris. The exercises, taking place on land, in the air, and at sea, are being conducted by the Multinational Force Ukraine (MNF-U), which serves as the military component of the coalition.

“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,” said Tom Bateman, the British lieutenant-general commanding MNF-U.

The British Ministry of Defence says that the exercise, which has been named “Koalicja” (meaning “Coalition” in Polish), “will test Allies’ readiness to support Ukraine and rebuild their Armed Forces once the conflict ends”.

France’s armed forces ministry, meanwhile, says that the aim is to ensure that MNF-U is “ready to deploy at the request of the Ukrainian government” in order to help “guarantee a robust and lasting peace in Ukraine”.

Around 2,800 troops are being deployed for the manoeuvres, with AFP reporting that this includes 1,100 from France alone. The British defence ministry says it has sent 300 personnel, as well as Typhoon and Voyager aircraft.

In addition, just under 2,000 Polish troops will take part, bringing the total to almost 5,000 personnel, reports Polska Zbrojna, a publication linked to the Polish defence ministry. Other countries taking part are Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.

Poland’s defence ministry says the exercises will “demonstrate how quickly participating nations can mobilise and establish forces capable of supporting Ukraine after the end of the war”.

However, although Poland is hosting the manoeuvres, the defence ministry reiterated the country’s position that “it would not send its own soldiers to Ukrainian territory” as part of any postwar settlement. Poland has made clear it intends instead to help provide logistical support.

France says that the deployment of forces to Ukraine would include sending instructors to help the country rebuild and strengthen its armed forces, while air missions would enable civlian aircraft to resume flying in Ukrainian airspace.

At sea, MNF-U forces could help clear mines from shipping routes in the Black Sea. The maritime component of the current exercises is being led by Turkey through a simulated operational exercise, without deploying troops to Poland itself.

France, the UK and Poland have emphasised, however, that the MNF-U forces would only be deployed once fighting in Ukraine has ceased and would not carry out peacekeeping or ceasefire-monitoring duties.

On Saturday, the spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, condemned the exercises, saying that they make “absolutely clear that the West remains unwilling to take Russia’s legitimate security concerns into account and continues to fuel the spiral of escalation”.

She described the deployment of any foreign armed forces to Ukraine as “absolutely unacceptable” and said they would “create additional threats to Russia’s security”.

“Any military units in Ukraine will be regarded by the Russian armed forces as legitimate targets, with all the risks and consequences that entails,” warned Zakharova.

The exercises come as Ukraine and Russia meet the United States and others for peace talks in Abu Dhabi this week. Ukraine has repeatedly insisted that European security guarantees would be necessary for any peace agreement.

British defence secretary Wes Streeting suggested the exercises forecast precisely such a scenario: “This isn’t a hypothetical plan, it’s a real force, ready to help Ukraine once the fighting stops.”

Zakharova, however, says that the exercises are “yet another confirmation that the Europeans have no place at the negotiating table”.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Ministry of Defence

Leo Greenberg

Leo Greenberg is an assistant editor at Notes from Poland. Based in Kyiv, he writes about global politics, Europe and America, and the war in Ukraine.