First exercise of the multinational force for Ukraine begins

It is the first military exercise by the so-called Coalition of the Willing to support Ukraine. From today until November 22nd, militaries from eleven countries are training in Poland, Romania and the Black Sea on how to secure lasting peace in Ukraine after the end of the war. The name of the exercise: "Koalicja 2026" (Coalition 2026).

France and Great Britain are the largest troop contributors to the exercise. The coalition emphasizes that this is not a NATO exercise, even since the USA is explicitly not taking part in it.

The aim is to simulate the relocation of soldiers and the transport of supplies. In the air, fighter jets are intended to secure airspace for civil aviation. In total, around 2,800 soldiers will take part in the exercise, 1,500 from France and 300 from Great Britain. Other participating countries include Poland, Belgium, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.

The commander of the multinational force, Tom Bateman from Great Britain, emphasizes that the coalition is not intended to be a peacekeeping force. According to current planning, monitoring a ceasefire is also not their job. The aim is to rebuild the Ukrainian armed forces in the long term in order to be able to better protect themselves from future Russian attacks. The prerequisite for this: a lasting ceasefire.

According to the Defense Ministry in Berlin, ten Bundeswehr staff officers are taking part in the exercise. Two A400M transport aircraft are also available from Germany to refuel the fighter jets in the air. In addition, parts of the training troops will be relocated throughout the Federal Republic.

Although Germany is considered one of Ukraine's largest financial supporters, Chancellor Friedrich Merz is still cautious about setting up a possible peacekeeping force. “The federal government and the German Bundestag will decide on the type and extent of the German contribution,” said Merz.

Criticism of the exercise and the structure of the troops comes from Moscow. For Russia, using the alliance - even after the end of the war - is out of the question, said Foreign Office spokeswoman Maria Sakharova. A deployment on Ukrainian territory would amount to "de facto military intervention" and this would create an "additional threat to Russia's security," said Zakharova. Russia would view foreign forces as legitimate military targets, the spokeswoman said.