Bundeswehr takes part in Ukraine maneuvers: Kyiv's allies want to practice the ceasefire

dpa/taz The Bundeswehr will take part in the first military maneuver of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” to support a peace agreement for Ukraine with around ten staff officers, tanker aircraft and logistics. As a “sign of unity with our partners,” Germany is taking part in the exercise, which is scheduled to take place in November in Poland, in the airspace over Romania and in the western Black Sea, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense told the German Press Agency upon request.

The military exercise with the Polish name “Koalicja 2026” (Coalition 2026) was agreed at a summit in Paris in July and announced by Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk in August. The maneuvers were intended to “prepare concrete security guarantees for Ukraine, but also for the region,” Tusk said at the time, according to the PAP news agency.

The formation of a multinational force led by France and Great Britain had already been decided in January. It is intended to be used when it comes to securing a ceasefire or a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. The “Coalition of the Willing” for Ukraine was launched by Britain’s then Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron at the beginning of 2025 as a European response to the then new US President Donald Trump. A total of 36 states belong to it.

The maneuver in November will be the first to test the operational capability of a multinational force from Ukraine's allies. According to the Defense Ministry, in addition to the staff officers, the Bundeswehr will provide “up to two” A400M transport aircraft for aerial refueling for the exercise. They are supposed to operate from Germany. In addition, the relocation of troops by Germany to the training area will be supported with “logistical services,” it said.

After initial hesitation, Germany agreed to participate. But that says nothing about what German participation in the multinational force will ultimately look like. “The federal government and the German Bundestag will also decide on the type and extent of the German contribution,” said Chancellor Merz in July.

It is still unclear how many soldiers will take part in the maneuver. British Defense Minister Wes Streeting spoke of “thousands of soldiers” during his visit to his US counterpart Pete Hegseth in Washington in mid-October. A few days ago, the British Times named a total of 1,500 French, British and German soldiers who would take part in the maneuver alongside Polish troops.