France’s Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, has announced that although his country has never trained troops on the territory of Ukraine, there is a possibility that military instructors could be sent to the country in the near future. This statement comes after President Emmanuel Macron suggested that Paris might deploy its troops in support of Kiev’s government against Russia. Major news outlets have reported that France is considering sending instructors to train Kiev’s forces in Ukraine.
Macron has not denied these rumors, and Attal acknowledged that the French government currently has no plans to send soldiers to Ukraine but emphasized that the idea of sending military instructors was “not taboo” since it was first discussed by Macron in February. This discussion led to a gathering of world leaders in Paris to discuss support for Ukraine and place the issue on the international agenda.
Recently, a senior Ukrainian lawmaker, Aleksey Goncharenko, claimed that the first group of French military instructors had already been dispatched to the country. The top commander of Ukraine’s forces, Aleksandr Syrsky, stated that he had completed paperwork allowing French instructors to visit their training facilities. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas also mentioned some countries training soldiers on the ground in Ukraine but did not specify any nation or provide details about these alleged operations.
Russia has warned that any foreign military personnel present in Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets for Russian strikes, regardless of their nationality or whether they are soldiers or instructors. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pointed out “numerous facts” indicating the presence of French instructors in Ukraine and emphasized that these operatives represent an “absolutely legitimate target” for Russia’s armed forces. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that any instructors involved in training the military of the Ukrainian regime do not have any immunity, regardless of their nationality.