Britain, France and Germany to rehearse troop deployment to Ukraine in Poland

At least 1,500 military personnel from the United Kingdom, France and Germany will travel to Poland in November, where they will join Polish forces to rehearse a scenario involving the deployment of a multinational contingent to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.

This was reported by The Times, citing Kyiv Post.

According to the publication, these will be the first exercises of their kind. Their aim is to prepare for the post-war period, when European troops in Ukraine could serve as a deterrent force. Officials have stressed, however, that the announcement of the exercises does not mean a troop deployment is imminent.

During the maneuvers, military personnel will practice moving units and delivering supplies — food and fuel. A source at the defense ministry told The Times that under the scenario “multinational forces come together in one area.”

The exercises were announced by British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting, who took up the post on July 20, 2026, during his first visit to the United States in that role. He made the announcement after meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on Thursday, October 15.

“Next month, thousands of troops will take part in major exercises in Poland. This is how we will demonstrate our readiness to support the military training and post-war reconstruction that Ukraine will need,” Streeting said.

According to him, “hundreds” of British military personnel will take part in the exercises. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk endorsed the plan, calling the presence of French and British troops “extremely important.”

The coalition of the willing and its history

The countries agreed to hold the exercises at the July summit of the “coalition of the willing” — a grouping led by the United Kingdom and France that is developing security guarantees for Ukraine. In August, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that coalition members would hold full-scale joint exercises in the autumn, and Tusk later confirmed they would take place in Poland. In January 2026, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and France signed a declaration of intent regarding the deployment of multinational forces after a peace agreement is reached.

The coalition has also faced setbacks. In July, Bulgaria announced its withdrawal from the group. The Telegraph warned that the coalition could “slowly die” now that Keir Starmer and Macron have left their posts.

The exercises were announced against a backdrop of strained relations between the United States and its allies. President Donald Trump refused to say whether Vladimir Putin started the war. Streeting said he hoped the United Kingdom could help ease tensions between Washington and Kyiv following a dispute over Starlink satellite communications. Ukraine reported that SpaceX had restricted Starlink operations, affecting its use of drones. According to Streeting, he and Hegseth welcomed the restoration of the service, but did not discuss the reasons for the outage.

“We are making plans for the world and the freedom we want to achieve, leading the coalition of the willing,” Streeting added.