Germany to join first Coalition of the Willing exercises with refuelling aircraft and staff officers

26.10.2026, 17:37 rubryka.com

Earlier reports said that in November 2026, military personnel from the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland would hold exercises to practise deploying a European contingent to Ukraine following a possible ceasefire with Russia. At least 1,500 service members are expected to take part.

In response to a request from the dpa news agency, a spokesperson for Germany's Ministry of Defense said the country would participate in the exercises "as a sign of solidarity with our partners".

According to the German defense ministry, the Bundeswehr will provide up to two A400M military transport aircraft equipped for aerial refuelling as part of the exercises, code-named "Koalicja 2026". The aircraft will operate from German territory.

Around ten Bundeswehr staff officers will also take part in the manoeuvres.

Germany will additionally provide logistical support for the movement of troops through its territory to the exercise area.

The exercises will, for the first time, test the operational readiness of multinational forces being assembled under the leadership of France and the United Kingdom. Their task is to support a possible ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.

The exercises will take place:

The exact start date has not yet been set. According to Poland's Ministry of National defense, more detailed information about the exercises will be released in early November.

The total number of service members participating in the manoeuvres is also unknown. The British newspaper The Times previously reported that around 1,500 French, British and German troops could take part, excluding Polish units. However, this information has not been officially confirmed.

According to n-tv, the Bundeswehr's participation in the exercises does not mean that a final decision has been made on the possible deployment of German troops as part of a multinational force following a potential ceasefire in Ukraine.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz previously stressed:

"Decisions on the nature and scale of Germany's contribution will also be made by the federal government and the Bundestag."

As Rubryka reported, French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans for joint exercises by Coalition of the Willing countries in Poland in October and November 2026 during a meeting in Kyiv on August 24. He said the exercises were intended to demonstrate the coalition countries' readiness to fulfil future security commitments to Ukraine.

The Coalition of the Willing, established by France and the United Kingdom, has since expanded to 37 countries. Moldova and North Macedonia were expected to join discussions for the first time on July 13, 2026.

What is known about a potential peacekeeping force for Ukraine

In 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron raised the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine, prompting debate among Ukraine's allies.

France later clarified that the proposal did not involve sending troops directly into combat. Several NATO countries, including Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Canada, said they were willing to consider such a possibility.

In January 2025, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany was prepared to consider participating in peacekeeping missions in Ukraine, but that the issue would arise only in the future, when the time was right.

In March 2025, reports emerged that the United Kingdom was ready to deploy 10,000 troops to Ukraine, potentially for many years.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said that, since Ukraine needs security guarantees until it receives an invitation to join NATO, the proposal by the French president to station troops from other countries on Ukrainian territory could be considered.

In July 2026, then British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said after a Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris that more than 25 countries had completed preparations for a plan to deploy multinational forces in Ukraine, which could be implemented as soon as hostilities cease.