Poland to Host First Coalition of the Willing Military Exercises With British and French Troops

Following the July 13 Coalition of the Willing leaders' meeting in Paris, Polish PM Donald Tusk announced Poland will host the coalition's first-ever military exercises with British and French forces in autumn 2026, testing command-and-control systems, logistics, and deployment procedures for a possible postwar multinational force in Ukraine. Poland's role reflects its position as the logistical hub for the Multinational Force Ukraine. By early August, Deputy PM Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed reconnaissance was underway ahead of French troop support, with American reconnaissance to begin in September — part of Poland's broader push, alongside its $2.6B East Shield border-hardening project, to secure US, French and UK backing for its eastern-flank defenses against Russia and Belarus.