UK and France to lead 2,800-troop Koalicja drill in Poland from 9 November

Exercise plan and participants

The United Kingdom and France announced on Tuesday, 3 November, a military exercise named Koalicja that will run from 9 to 22 November. Troops will train in Poland, around Nowa Dęba in the south-east, and in Istanbul, where the naval component is planned. This is the first large drill staged by the Multinational Force Ukraine (MNF-U), the military arm of the coalition of the willing, which London and Paris co-lead. About 2,800 personnel are expected to operate on land, at sea and in the air. Eleven countries are listed: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Turkey. The coalition of the willing counts about 35 member states.

Forces and assets

France is expected to send around 1,500 troops from its 1st Division, while the United Kingdom will contribute about 300 soldiers. British forces will also bring Typhoon fighters and Voyager aircraft. Typhoons will rehearse how to protect commercial flights once Ukrainian airspace reopens. Germany will provide about ten staff officers, tanker aircraft and logistics support. Turkish forces will take charge of the maritime part in Istanbul, where crews will practise clearing mines under demining arrangements meant to let merchant ships return safely to Ukrainian ports. British Lieutenant General Tom Bateman commands MNF-U, whose headquarters is moving from Paris to London this year.

France1,500

United Kingdom300

France

1500 personnel

United Kingdom

300 personnel

Data from the article text

Deployment conditions

MNF-U troops would enter Ukraine only after fighting stops and at the request of the government in Kyiv. Personnel would not act as peacekeepers or monitor a ceasefire, and they would operate far from the front line, outside NATO command. Western officials, cited by The Guardian, said troops would have the right to fire back if attacked and that the force would not rely on US systems such as Elon Musk's Starlink. Officials declined to specify the rules of force for an attack on the contingent. Tasks under consideration include air patrols to help reopen Ukrainian airports, demining near Black Sea ports and helping rebuild Ukraine's armed forces. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the drill as smaller, focused first on testing command structures and decision chains.

Russia and the diplomatic track

Russia opposes foreign troops in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin said last year that such personnel would be legitimate targets, and Moscow has already rejected NATO troops on Ukrainian territory after a truce. A Danish defence intelligence assessment said Putin could attack NATO only if he judged the alliance would not respond collectively, and especially if he believed the United States would not back European NATO members in a war with Russia. The United States took part in discussions on these plans but will not join the mission. Talks between Kyiv and Moscow are set to resume in Abu Dhabi in the week of 9 November, with US envoy Steve Witkoff as mediator.

Official reactions and next steps

UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the drill shows Britain, France and their allies stepping up preparations for the moment fighting ends, calling the force a real capability rather than a hypothetical plan. Bateman said the exercise is meant to show the force can deploy quickly and operate effectively. Its aims include testing command and control systems and moving personnel, equipment and supplies. The exercise is scheduled to end on 22 November, and any deployment would depend on when a ceasefire is negotiated.