Kyiv’s army chief clears the way
France may soon be able to train Ukrainians in war zones
27.05.2024, 20:47
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Western states have been training Ukrainian troops for a long time, but so far only outside the Eastern European country. That could now change. Kyiv’s commander-in-chief Syrskyj is laying the foundation. Now Paris just has to say yes and could then send troops to Lviv or Kyiv.
According to information from Kiev, France wants to send military instructors to Ukraine. He welcomed “France’s initiative to send instructors to Ukraine to train Ukrainian army personnel,” wrote Ukrainian commander-in-chief Olexander Syrskyj on Facebook. Syrskyj added that he had already signed documents “that will enable the first French instructors to soon visit our training centers and familiarize themselves with their infrastructure and personnel.” There was initially no official confirmation from France that such a training mission was actually planned.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian war of aggression for more than two years. Recently there has been repeated discussion about the possible deployment of Western military trainers to the war zone in order to more effectively support the Ukrainian army, which is under pressure. Officially, there are no such training programs yet.
The Ministry of Defense in Paris simply announced in the evening: “As has been mentioned several times, training on Ukrainian soil is one of the construction sites that (…) are being discussed.” It continued: “Like all the topics discussed on this occasion, this issue will continue to be discussed with the Ukrainian side, in particular in order to understand their exact needs.”
French weapons are slow to arrive
Previously, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu had reported on a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart. The conversation concerned upcoming deliveries of Caesar guns, Aster air defense missiles and Scalp cruise missiles, which France had previously promised. The conversation also concerned future aid packages, which the minister did not elaborate on.
In February, President Emmanuel Macron also raised the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine. This offended many allies. Chancellor Olaf Scholz ruled out sending German soldiers to Ukraine.