"Coalition of the willing" to hold large-scale military exercises in autumn

The countries of the "coalition of the willing", supporting Ukraine, will hold large-scale joint military exercises in October and November 2026. The maneuvers should test the readiness of future multinational forces to perform tasks after a possible cessation of hostilities.

This was announced by French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting of the "coalition of the willing", which took place on August 24 in Kyiv in a hybrid format.

According to the French president, the exercises should demonstrate the coalition's operational readiness and its ability to act within the framework of future security guarantees for Ukraine.

"The large-scale exercises, which our coalition will hold in October and November, will demonstrate its operational readiness and ability to act after the cessation of hostilities", — Macron said.

The holding of joint maneuvers has been discussed before. In July, the coalition countries agreed to move from planning the future mission to practical interaction, including the movement of troops and equipment, logistics, and coordination between national units. Now, for the first time, specific months for the large-scale exercises have been named.

At the same time, coalition members continue to prepare multinational forces for Ukraine — Multinational Force Ukraine. According to a joint statement by the leaders, such forces can only be deployed after "reliable cessation of hostilities" and should become part of broader politically and legally established security guarantees.

At the August 24 meeting, leaders also agreed to increase military support for Ukraine, strengthen air defense, and cooperate with the Ukrainian defense industry. Assistance to the energy system before winter and further pressure on the Russian military-industrial complex were discussed separately.

The meeting of the "coalition of the willing" together with Volodymyr Zelensky was chaired by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Based on: ANSA, UK government