Coalition of the willing to hold first military exercise in Poland this September, without Germany

Decision in Paris

On 13 July 2026, leaders of the so-called coalition of the willing met in Paris to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. About 25 heads of state and government attended, including Polish prime minister Donald Tusk and German chancellor Friedrich Merz. President Emmanuel Macron stated that the multinational force was already ready to act. The group, which first convened in January 2025 and now includes roughly 37 mostly European nations, was joined by Moldova and North Macedonia during the Paris session.

The exercise

Tusk announced on 14 July that the coalition’s first joint manoeuvre will take place in Poland this autumn, principally with French and British forces. The drills are designed to prepare command staffs for decision-making pathways and troop movements, typically without moving hardware or soldiers in the field, according to the German news agency dpa. Polish defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz specified September 2026 as the timing, writing on platform X that allied troops from France, the United Kingdom and other partner nations will train together with Polish soldiers on Polish territory.

Germany absent

German government sources quoted by dpa said the exercise will proceed without Germany. Merz told the Paris meeting that the coalition is ready to play a significant role in security guarantees for Ukraine after a ceasefire, in close cooperation with the United States. The nature and scope of any German contribution will be decided by the federal government and the Bundestag, he added. The drills are described as a small-scale staff exercise.

Broader security context

The multinational force under European command was agreed in December at a meeting of European leaders on Ukraine in Berlin. It is intended to secure a potential ceasefire. The upcoming manoeuvre is the coalition's first concrete step toward training to provide what Tusk described as real security guarantees for Ukraine and the region. Poland will act as the host nation, with Tusk stating that the country is preparing logistically and financially for a permanent presence of both US and European allied forces.

Polish-French defence ties

Rzeczpospolita reported that preliminary talks may begin in the coming months on permanently stationing French arms depots on Polish soil, which would require a French troop contingent to guard and maintain the stockpiles. Such an arrangement would give substance to the Treaty of Nancy, signed by Tusk and Macron on 9 May 2025. The same sources noted that the Pentagon unexpectedly halted the rotation of over 4,000 US soldiers to Poland two months ago, reducing the American presence from around 10,000 troops while leaving the missile-defence base at Redzikowo unaffected. Permanent French hardware depots would act as an additional insurance policy should American assistance prove unavailable. No deal with Germany on similar terms is being considered because of political risk ahead of the parliamentary elections next autumn.

Key numbers

Poland is becoming the site of the most important military exercises in Europe. In September, troops from France and the United Kingdom, together with our soldiers, will train, as will other allied forces. This is a show of force and effective deterrence against Russia.

The assumption is that the exercises will be joint and multinational, with the French and British mainly coming to Poland. We will not only participate, but we are, in the full sense of the word, the hosts of these exercises.