Poland Will Host The First Full-scale Military Exercises Of The Coalition Of The Willing

• 2.11.2026, 23:03

As early as this month.

Military exercises by the Coalition of the Willing will take place in the city of Nova Demba in southeastern Poland from November 9 to 22. After nearly two years of meetings and summits, the Coalition is moving on to practical action.

This was reported by the newspaper Le Monde on Monday, November 2.

Approximately 2,800 military personnel from France, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Lithuania, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Belgium are expected to participate in the exercises. Ukrainian military personnel will also take part.

NATO forces will not participate in the exercises, though the North Atlantic Alliance has been informed of these maneuvers.

The first exercises, titled Koalicja (Polish for “coalition”), are intended to demonstrate the alliance’s military capabilities, with the goal of forming a rapid-response force capable of deterring Russia from resuming hostilities once a ceasefire is in place in Ukraine.

The publication noted that this is a rather difficult task, since the United States is not a member of the Coalition, and its participation in future security guarantees for Ukraine remains uncertain.

In addition, the “Koalicja” exercises are intended to provide a convenient opportunity to test the interoperability of communications systems among members of the Multinational Force (MNF-U)—the military wing of the Coalition of the Willing.

Poland will host the first exercises, as a significant portion of aid to Ukraine passes through its territory.

Earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Berlin in mid-November to coordinate international aid to Ukraine. The main topics are said to be support for Ukraine and the strengthening of its air defense.