kyiv announces the sending of French military instructors, Paris procrastinates

France did not confirm the statement made Tuesday by the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, referring instead to “one avenue” studied among others.

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A photo distributed on February 25, 2024 shows General Oleksandr Syrsky, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, visiting eastern Ukraine.  (UKRAINIAN ARMY / AFP)

A strong announcement, but not common. General Oleksandr Syrsky, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army, declared Monday May 27 that the first French military instructors will arrive “shortly” in Ukraine to train Ukrainian soldiers, who are retreating in the face of Russian offensives, particularly in the Kharkiv region.

“I welcome France’s initiative to send instructors to Ukraine to train the Ukrainian military. I have already signed the documents which will allow the first French instructors to soon visit our training centers and familiarize themselves with the infrastructure and their personnel”General Oleksandr Syrsky wrote on Telegram.

Contacted by AFP, the French Ministry of Defense limited itself to saying that the file was under study, without confirming the sending of instructors. “As already mentioned several times, training on Ukrainian soil is one of the projects discussed since the conference on support for Ukraine convened by the President of the Republic (Emmanuel Macron) on February 26,” declared the ministry. “This track continues to be the subject of work with the Ukrainians,” he added.


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