France may deploy military instructors to Ukraine next week – Reuters
France may soon send military instructors to Ukraine, despite fears from some allies and criticism from the Russian Federation. Paris may announce its decision next week during President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit.
Reuters reports this.
According to diplomatic sources, Paris hopes to create and lead a coalition of countries offering such military assistance to Kyiv. However, some European partners fear this could make direct conflict with Russia more likely.
The two diplomats said France would first send a limited number of personnel to assess the mission's conditions before sending several hundred instructors.
According to them, the training will focus on demining, maintenance of equipment in working order, and technical expertise of combat aircraft, which the West will provide. Paris will also finance, arm, and train a Ukrainian motorized brigade.
"The arrangements are at a very high level, and we can expect something next week," one of the sources said.
Заяви Президента Франції про відправлення військ в Україну лише підвищують напруженість, – міністр оборони Італії
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A few months ago, French President Emmanuel Macron was the first Western leader to suggest the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine.
Then, the head of the French state named the conditions under which this initiative could be implemented. In particular, troops may be sent in the event of a new Russian attack on Odesa or Kyiv.
However, recently, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, announced that France has decided to send its instructors to Ukraine.
However, the French Ministry of Defense did not confirm the information about sending its military instructors to Ukraine. The department notes that this issue is still being worked out.
It should be noted that earlier, Macron announced Zelensky's visit to France, which would take place on June 6.
