Germany to provide aircraft, officers for Ukraine coalition exercise

The German military will take part in the first military exercise of the "Coalition of the Willing" in support of Ukraine, contributing around 10 staff officers, tanker aircraft and logistical support, a Defence Ministry spokesman has told dpa.

Germany is participating in the exercise as a "sign of unity with our partners," the spokesman said in response to an enquiry.

The exercise is scheduled to take place in November in Poland, in the airspace over Romania and the western Black Sea.

The manoeuvre will, for the first time, test the operational readiness of the multinational force being assembled by Ukraine's allies under the leadership of France and the United Kingdom to help secure a potential future peace deal with Russia. The coalition is made up of around 35 countries.

According to the ministry, the Bundeswehr will provide up to two A400M transport aircraft for aerial refuelling during the exercise, which is called Koalicja 2026 (Coalition 2026) in Polish. They will operate from Germany.

Germany will also support the movement of troops through its territory to the exercise area by providing logistical services, the ministry said.

The creation of the force was agreed upon at a Ukraine summit in Berlin in December 2025. French President Emmanuel Macron declared the force operational in mid-July and announced that initial exercises would take place later this year in countries neighbouring Ukraine.

The exercises were intended to demonstrate "that we are ready, determined and credible - on land, in the air and at sea," Macron said at the time.

However, the full extent of Germany's involvement in the multinational force has yet to be decided.

"The German government and the German parliament will also decide on the nature and scope of Germany's contribution," Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in July.

It remains unclear how many soldiers will take part in the exercise. British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting referred to "thousands" of soldiers during a visit to Washington in mid-October.

A few days ago, the British newspaper The Times reported that a total of 1,500 French, British and German soldiers would participate alongside Polish troops. However, this figure has not yet been confirmed.