Poland to Host First ‘Coalition of the Willing’ Military Drills

Poland will host the first joint military exercises of the “Coalition of the Willing” this fall, with British and French troops expected to join Polish forces in the drills.

The exercises were announced by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday, just a day after Ukraine allies gathered in Paris for the Coalition of the Willing summit. Poland will serve as both host nation and active participant in the maneuvers, Deutsche Welle reported, citing Tusk.

“Given Russia and Putin’s tough stance, it is currently unlikely that a ceasefire or peace agreement can be reached in the near future,” Tusk said, adding that an escalation of Russian attacks should be expected.

Drills aim to prepare security guarantees

The exercises are designed to prepare the coalition of supportive nations to deliver “concrete security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as for the entire region” once a peace deal or ceasefire is reached, according to Tusk.

He said that he does not expect a quick resolution to the war, predicting that Russia will likely drag out the conflict until at least winter under Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s leadership.

The Coalition of the Willing was established to organize military and financial backing for Ukraine among partner nations. Early on, the group centered its efforts on the possibility of stationing troops in Ukraine after the war ends, as part of broader security guarantees. Although the coalition has made some headway on these proposals, progress has largely stalled, with continued uncertainty over Washington’s level of commitment slowing momentum. 

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Bulgaria pulls away from the Coalition

Tusk’s announcement came the same day Bulgaria officially withdrew from the Coalition of the Willing, further distancing the Balkan nation from its European Union partners.

“We’re not participating in a coalition that insists on continuing financial and military aid to Ukraine,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, arguing that strengthening Ukraine helps prolong Russia’s invasion of it.

“The solution to this conflict is not in prolonging it by military means, but in a strong diplomatic mission that will finally put an end to the escalation,” he added.

Sofia’s latest move follows Radev’s recent election win in April, after which he has repeatedly claimed the war cannot be won militarily. Reportedly, Radev has previously advocated closer ties with Russia.

 In June, Bulgaria’s Defense Minister, Dimitar Stoyanov, revealed that Bulgaria – once among Kyiv’s key sources of Soviet-era artillery shells – intends to cut off weapons shipments entirely.

Bulgaria has also vetoed EU sanctions targeting Patriarch Kirill, the Russian Orthodox Church leader who has been one of the main ideological justifiers of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, from the bloc’s upcoming 21st package of sanctions.