First joint military exercises by ’Coalition of Willing’ will take place as early as October–November, - Macron
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, has announced that the first joint military exercises by the ‘Coalition of the Willing’, led by the United Kingdom and France, will take place in October–November this year.
He said this during a meeting of the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ in Kyiv on Ukraine’s Independence Day, according to Censor.NET.
Macron mentioned the forthcoming military exercises whilst discussing the allies’ priorities in supporting Ukraine and providing it with security guarantees once the war is over.
"It is very important to continue to demonstrate our resolve and readiness when it comes to the security guarantees we have agreed upon. And the full-scale exercises to be conducted by our coalition in October and November will demonstrate its operational readiness and ability to act once hostilities have ceased, and this is very important. This is one of the key elements of the relevant negotiations, should Ukraine decide to hold them. And it is extremely important that we work collectively on this," Macron emphasised.
Context
- These exercises were already announced at the July meeting of the ‘Coalition of the Willing’. It was revealed at that time that around 1,500 military personnel from the United Kingdom and France were due to arrive in Poland in September. They will take part in international exercises involving the Coalition countries.
- The manoeuvres, scheduled for October and November, are intended to help the allies coordinate the operations of their military units. They are also intended to strengthen security on Europe’s eastern flank.
- The "Coalition of the Willing" was formed in March 2025 to support Ukraine and prepare security guarantees once the war has ended. The allies are also discussing the possible deployment of multinational forces in Ukraine.
