The key facts
- The 'Coalition 26.2' exercises will take place in Poland on November 9–22 with about 2,800 servicemen from 11 countries under the leadership of the UK and France.
- Russia–US–Ukraine consultations in Abu Dhabi are scheduled for November 10–11; among the topics are mutual security guarantees.
- Zakharova stated that the exercises confirm that 'Europeans have nothing to do at the negotiating table'; Ushakov earlier ruled out inviting them.
Exercises on the Eve of Consultations
From November 9 to 22, the 'Coalition 26.2' exercises will take place in Poland, organized under the leadership of the United Kingdom and France. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, about 2,800 servicemen from 11 countries are taking part; the drills involve the transfer of personnel and equipment, logistics, and unit coordination. The British ministry stated that the contingent could be deployed to Ukraine after hostilities cease and at Kyiv's invitation. This is reported by Life.ru.
Moscow's Reaction
The start of the maneuvers coincided in timing with the Russia–US–Ukraine trilateral consultations in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for November 10–11. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called this symbolic and stated: 'these exercises begin on the eve of the resumption in Abu Dhabi of consultations on settling the conflict in the Russia–US–Ukraine format. This once again confirms that Europeans have nothing to do at the negotiating table.' According to her, the maneuvers became an argument against the participation of European countries in the talks.
Who Will Sit at the Table
The question of European participation had already been discussed earlier: as Life.ru reported, aide to the President of Russia Yuri Ushakov ruled out inviting them to the talks on Ukraine. According to him, European politicians will be able to come to Abu Dhabi as ordinary travelers, but no seats at the negotiating table are provided for them; commenting on the possibility of their presence, he remarked ironically that to make the trip they only need to buy tickets. Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that one of the topics of the meeting would be mutual security guarantees.
What Is Known and What Remains Unclear
Thus, Moscow's position on the composition of the consultation participants is confirmed at two levels — by the foreign ministry and by the presidential administration, while the timing of the exercises and the talks practically coincides: the maneuvers begin on November 9, the consultations on November 10–11. The British Ministry of Defence's statement about a possible deployment of the contingent to Ukraine only after hostilities cease and at Kyiv's invitation remains a declaration of intent rather than an adopted decision; the outcome of the consultations in Abu Dhabi itself, including the discussion of security guarantees, was unknown at the time of publication.
