In brief
From Nov. 9‑22, the Britain‑ and France‑led Coalition of the Willing staged the 2,800‑person exercise KOALICJA 26.2 in Poland, testing multinational command and control and maritime mine‑clearing. Russia warned foreign troops would be legitimate targets, while the EU announced its participation in Abu Dhabi talks, though the United States was not part of the coalition.
The first exercise of a Britain‑ and France‑led Coalition of the Willing, code‑named KOALICJA 26.2, began on Monday, Nov. 9 in eastern Poland and ran until Nov. 22. The drill involved approximately 2,800 military personnel drawn from 11 countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Poland, and others, and was coordinated by Polish and Turkish units.
In a statement released by the British Ministry of Defence, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: "This isn't a hypothetical plan, it's a real force, ready to help Ukraine once the fighting stops." The exercise’s purpose was to test command‑and‑control arrangements, rehearse the movement of personnel, equipment and supplies, and assess how multinational units could operate together as a unified force.
The drills were directed from an operational headquarters in Paris, with land and air components positioned near Nowa Deba in southeastern Poland, about 100 km from the Ukrainian border. Turkish forces, meanwhile, tested maritime mine‑clearing arrangements from Istanbul.
The Coalition of the Willing, created in 2025, consists of more than 30 countries, largely from Europe. No American forces are part of the group. Poland’s Defence Ministry announced that it would host the main part of the exercise and provide logistical support, but it does not plan to send troops to Ukraine after the conflict concludes.
One day before the drills began, the U.S., Russia and Ukraine were scheduled to resume peace talks in Abu Dhabi with the core negotiations involving those three parties. European officials, however, pushed for a seat at the table. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the European Union would be present at the talks. This stance was met with Russia’s opposition.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, warned on Saturday that any foreign military units deployed in Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets. In a statement, Zakharova said: "Foreign forces in Ukraine would stand as legitimate targets for the Russian Military." The warning inflamed tensions surrounding the exercise.
European diplomats seek a role in negotiations, particularly regarding Ukraine’s future security guarantees. A recent quick‑briefing from EuropeanRelations.com noted that Germany and other European partners have called for a meaningful role in the discussions. Though the brief did not detail specific positions, it reflected a broader European consensus that the negotiating framework should involve more than the United States, Russia and Ukraine alone.
The U.S. press, meanwhile, indicated that its voices remain central to the peace talks, but several European leaders have publicly stated their desire to shape the post‑war settlement. The U.S. was not included in the military coalition, yet its officials reaffirmed the importance of continued engagement with European partners.
While the exercise highlighted the Coalition’s readiness to assist after hostilities cease, Russian officials maintained a hard‑line stance that foreign involvement would be met with military response. The dual narratives – Europe’s preparedness and Russia’s warning – underscore the tensions leading up to the Abu Dhabi summit.
The scheduled meeting in Abu Dhabi will have to negotiate the extent of European participation, a question that will likely shape the future of the conflict and its resolution.
