With the expectation that Paris’s initiative would persuade other Western allies to follow suit, the Ukrainian leadership applauded France’s “determination” in deploying military advisors to the nation.
The drama that has raged for months over French President Emmanuel Macron’s seemingly unachievable demand to send French soldiers directly to Ukraine seems to be nearing its conclusion, as Ukraine has revealed that it has finally officially allowed foreign troops to land.
On Sunday, the nation’s defense minister, Rustem Umerov, and the country’s new commander in chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, held discussions with Sebastien Lecorne, France’s defense minister. They stated that they welcomed the French troops and urged France to donate more weapons and ammunition.
Syrskyi declared that he had “already signed the documents that would allow the first French teachers” to arrive, and he appreciated “France’s initiative to deploy instructors to Ukraine to educate Ukrainian military troops.” He said that the first wave of French troops would be familiarizing themselves by visiting Ukrainian training facilities.
Above all, the Ukrainian expressed his hope that France’s breaking of the Western taboo on “boots on the ground” in Ukraine would inspire other countries to become more actively involved. “I think that France’s resolve will inspire other partners to join this big initiative,” he remarked.
The timing is murky, in part because the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine seemed to soften the blow shortly after the release by stating: “Ukraine indicated interest in the possibility of receiving foreign instructors in Ukraine starting in February 2024.” We are currently discussing this matter with France and other nations.
In fact, Defense Minister Umerov implied that no specific timeframe had been set when he described his portion of the conversation, saying he would push France to deploy the instructors as soon as possible.
Regarding other issues, Umerov stated that “strengthening our combat units is important to repel present attacks and discourage upcoming offensives,” specifically pleading with France to deliver more weapons.
“We talked about the necessity of ammunition, artillery, air defense, and armored vehicles. I underlined how crucial it is to provide weapons quickly.
In response to the remark, the French Ministry of Defense confirmed that the project was under development but refrained from stating categorically that it would launch right away. According to Reuters, they stated: “One of the ideas considered since the meeting on support for Ukraine called by the President of the Republic on February 26 is training on Ukrainian soil, as already said multiple times.”
“Work with the Ukrainians continues on this track, specifically to understand their exact needs, as with all the projects addressed at that time.”
Support without escalation has been a guiding principle of Western military assistance, with several states restricting their contributions to non-weapon miscellaneous items such as helmets and ration packs during the early stages of the second invasion. Governments have gradually eroded this attitude by talking themselves out of sending Ukraine modern missiles, main battle tanks, and even jet fighters—all previously considered “red lines”—into the conflict.
Perhaps sending troops is the last red line. Furthermore, the news that French troops may be openly entering Ukraine, even if only as advisors, is the most recent chapter in a story that began in February, when President Macron broke the de facto omerta regarding Western “boots on the ground” in the fight.
Reports from February stated that Macron “must do whatever we can to attain our objective” and “we could not rule out sending military forces to Ukraine.” Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico claimed to have seen a “limited” NATO document that “sends shivers down your spine,” and that NATO leaders were already debating such plans in private. This statement triggered the revelation.
Since then, Fico has been the target of an attempted assassination attempt by a gunman, who said that Fico had to act because of his views on military help for Ukraine.
After speaking out about his opinions on deploying soldiers to Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron came under heavy fire from other NATO leaders. However, he has since reiterated his stance numerous times. Macron expressed his opinion that “if Russia prevails in Ukraine, there will be no security in Europe” earlier this month, but he added that he would not “rule anything out.”
