French MPs urge defense ministry to deploy military instructors to Ukraine
Five MPs from various political groups in France have addressed a letter to Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, urging the deployment of military instructors to Ukraine.
This was reported by Rubryka, referencing a post by deputy Frédéric Petit on X (formerly Twitter).
"The brutality of the fighting and the increasing Russian pressure in Donbas compel us to consider continuing army training not only in France and Poland but also directly on Ukrainian soil," Petit stated.
He clarified that French military personnel in Ukraine would not engage in combat against Russian forces but would focus solely on training Ukrainian soldiers to defend their territory's integrity.
The parliamentarians also highlighted the need to respond to Russia's reported use of thousands of North Korean soldiers by stepping up direct support for Ukraine.
"As the prospects for potential negotiations become clearer, France and European nations must show no signs of weakness or allow their actions to be dictated by the Kremlin's red lines," Petit emphasized.
Macron's initiative
French President Emmanuel Macron has become the first Western leader to propose the potential deployment of Western troops to Ukraine. He outlined specific conditions under which this could occur, such as a renewed Russian attack on key cities like Odesa or Kyiv.
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné added that while France could send troops to Ukraine to assist with non-combat tasks, they would not be involved in direct hostilities.
Meanwhile, other Western nations, including Poland and the Czech Republic, have ruled out sending troops to Ukraine. Similarly, a White House spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that the United States has no plans to deploy soldiers for combat operations in Ukraine. NATO has also stated that it has no intentions of sending troops for such missions.
Moscow reacted strongly to Macron's suggestion, cautioning that any deployment of Western forces in Ukraine would escalate tensions and potentially lead to direct conflict between Russia and NATO.
