France to send military instructors to Ukraine
France will send instructors to Ukraine to help train its military forces, said Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi. He announced that the necessary documents have already been signed, enabling the first French instructors to soon visit Ukrainian training centres.
Announcing the decision after a video call with French Minister of Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu, Syrskyi said: "I am pleased to welcome France's initiative to send instructors to Ukraine to train our military personnel. I have already signed the documents enabling the first French instructors to visit our training centres shortly and assess their infrastructure and staff."
Syrskyi noted that France’s determination should encourage other Ukrainian partners to join this project. He also expressed his gratitude to Sébastien Lecornu for the French people's support and military and economic assistance to Ukraine in countering Russian military aggression.
In February 2024, following a security summit in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron declared his readiness to send French troops to Ukraine. At that time, the United States, Germany, and other European nations immediately stated that they do not support such ideas.
On May 20, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis announced that Lithuania is open to joining French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to send Western military instructors to Ukraine.
On May 21, US General Charles Brown said that the United States does not plan to send its military instructors to Ukraine.
In May, President Macron outlined the conditions under which he would consider deploying troops. According to him, this could be possible in the event of a frontline breakthrough.