According to information from Kiev, France may soon send military trainers to Ukraine. Meanwhile, President Zelensky continues his tour of Europe.
According to Kiev, France wants to send military trainers to Ukraine. Spain also signed a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia’s army continues to bomb the eastern Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Olexander Syrskyj wrote on Facebook that he welcomed “France’s initiative to send instructors to Ukraine to train Ukrainian army personnel.” He has already signed documents “that will allow the first French trainers to soon visit our training centers and familiarize themselves with their infrastructure and staff”. 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 sending of Western military trainers to the war zone in order to more effectively support the Ukrainian army, which is under pressure. There are currently no such training programs officially.
In response to a request from the German Press Agency, the Ministry of Defense in Paris only said in the evening: “As has already been mentioned several times, training on Ukrainian soil is one of the construction sites that (…) is being discussed.” It continued: “Like all of them “In addition to the topics discussed on this occasion, this issue will continue to be discussed with the Ukrainian side, in particular to understand their precise needs.”
Spain signed a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s first official visit to Madrid. The agreement provides, among other things, for Spanish military aid in the current year amounting to one billion euros, said Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez after the meeting with Zelensky in the government palace in Moncloa. Despite requests from journalists, Sánchez did not want to give details. He only said that anti-aircraft missiles, Leopard tanks and ammunition would continue to be delivered. Zelensky described the agreement as “life-saving assistance in this difficult time.”