France may announce sending military instructors to Ukraine next week
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
France may soon deploy military instructors to Ukraine despite concerns from some allies and criticism from Russia. Paris is expected to announce its decision next week during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit, citing Reuters.
According to diplomatic sources, Paris hopes to establish and lead a coalition of countries offering such assistance to Kyiv in military operations, even though some European partners fear this could increase the likelihood of direct conflict with Russia.
According to two diplomats, France will initially send a limited number of personnel to assess mission conditions, followed by several hundred instructors.
They said that the training will focus on demining, maintaining equipment, and technical expertise for combat aircraft provided by the West. Paris will also fund, arm, and train a Ukrainian motorized brigade.
"The arrangements are very advanced and we could expect something next week," one of the sources said.
Macron's initiative
Several months ago, French President Emmanuel Macron was the first Western leader to suggest the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine.
At the time, the French head of state outlined conditions under which this initiative could be implemented, specifically in the event of a new Russian attack on Odesa or Kyiv.
However, recently, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, announced that France had decided to send its instructors to Ukraine.
Notably, Macron earlier announced Zelenskyy's visit to France, which will take place on June 6.
