In brief
A coalition led by Britain and France staged a 2800‑person military exercise in Poland, underscoring Europe’s bid to be involved in Ukraine’s peace negotiations. The drill, code‑named "KOALICJA 26.2", began a day before talks in Abu Dhabi and coincided with Russian warnings that foreign forces would be legitimate targets.
A multinational exercise code‑named "KOALICJA 26.2" began on Monday in southeastern Poland as the Britain‑ and France‑led Coalition of the Willing prepared for a possible post‑war deployment to Ukraine. The drill, set for 9‑22 November, involved roughly 2,800 troops from 11 European countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain and Poland. It aimed to test command‑and‑control arrangements, rehearse the movement of personnel, equipment and supplies, and assess how the different units could operate together as a multinational force.
The operation is directed from an operational headquarters in Paris, with land and air components co‑located around Nowa Deba, about 100 km from the Ukrainian border. Turkish forces are separately testing maritime mine‑clearance arrangements in Istanbul.
Wes Streeting, British Defence Secretary, said in a statement that the force “is not a hypothetical plan – it is a real force, ready to help Ukraine once the fighting stops.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned on Saturday that any foreign military units deployed in Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets, escalating tensions ahead of the talks.
European officials have pressed for a role in the negotiations; Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President, announced that the EU would be present at the Abu Dhabi talks, while Kremlin officials said the core negotiations would involve Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
The exercise began a day before peace talks in Abu Dhabi, highlighting Europe’s desire to influence the process and a forthcoming discussion on Ukraine’s future security guarantees, as reported by European relations experts.
