Macron announces first Coalition of the Willing military exercises for 2026

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the Coalition of the Willing will hold full-scale joint military exercises in October and November 2026 — marking the first major operational test of the European military grouping created to support Ukraine.

The announcement came on Monday when Macron addressed a plenary session of the coalition in Kyiv via video link, held to mark the 35th anniversary of Ukrainian independence. The session was co-chaired by Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Vladimir Zelensky also took part in the event.

Exercises to test combat readiness

The planned exercises will take place in Poland. They were first announced at the coalition’s previous session in July, with reports indicating that around 1,500 military personnel from the United Kingdom and France would participate. Macron presented the exercises as a key element of future peace negotiations, stressing that they would demonstrate the alliance’s “combat readiness and capacity for action” after a ceasefire.

“It is absolutely essential to continue demonstrating our resolve and readiness with regard to the security guarantees we have committed to. This is one of the key elements of the relevant negotiations, when Ukraine decides to hold them,” Macron said.

Shadow fleet and sanctions pressure

In addition to the exercises, Macron proposed holding a ministerial meeting “within a few weeks” focused on countering Russia’s shadow fleet — a network of aging vessels with opaque ownership structures used to circumvent Western sanctions on Russian oil exports. The French president called for new sanctions banning the export of gasoline, oil, and diesel fuel to Russia, noting that some supplies reach Moscow through Swiss companies.

Macron also warned that Russia would “seek to stoke tensions” against European countries in order to discourage them from supporting Ukraine.

“It is quite clear that NATO countries will come under attack and that provocations will increase,” Macron said, urging allies to maintain unity.

The United Kingdom deepens its military commitments

Andy Burnham arrived in Kyiv on his first foreign visit as prime minister and announced that the United Kingdom would allow defense company MBDA to disclose classified information about British components of the long-range SCALP cruise missile in order to organize its local assembly in Ukraine. The Kremlin responded by accusing the United Kingdom of becoming a direct participant in the conflict.

The coalition session was preceded by a Russian drone strike on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih on Friday.