France could announce sending military instructors to Ukraine – Le Monde

In a matter of weeks or even days, French and European instructors could be sent to Ukraine, although nothing has yet been finalized, Le Monde reports. The French authorities, according to the report, are looking to set up a coalition of willing countries to train Ukrainian forces besieged by the Russian army.

According to several sources with knowledge of the matter, consultations on this subject are set to accelerate in the coming days, with a view to a possible announcement when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits France to mark the 80^th anniversary of the D-Day Normandy landings on June 6 and 7. French President Emmanuel Macron could then unveil the outlines of such an initiative, three and a half months after he originally said he would not rule out sending Western military reinforcements to Ukraine, on February 26, the report adds.

The idea would be to first send a few dozen specialists to identify training needs. This would be followed by a mission of several hundred troops. There is talk of training deminers, and even, as France envisages, training soldiers for a new motorized brigade, Le Monde continues.

Lithuania, Estonia, the UK and other countries could join the coalition.