France seeks coalition of instructors for Ukraine, Macron says many countries already involved
Emmanuel Macron (Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy/Facebook)

France will work on expanding the coalition of countries sending military instructors to Ukraine for training, French President Emmanuel Macron announced during a joint press conference with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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When asked whether France is ready to send military instructors to Ukraine and the current status of this decision, Macron responded:

"We have decided that we want to have a coalition [to send foreign military instructors to Ukraine], and many of our partners have already agreed," the French president stated.

Macron noted that he will work on expanding this coalition to meet Ukraine's requests, as Ukraine is currently mobilizing significantly more personnel who will need training.

"It is much more efficient and practical in certain conditions to train these people on Ukrainian territory – this is a legitimate request," he said.

Macron emphasized that his country wants to do everything possible to help Ukraine continue defending itself against Russian aggression.

"So when Ukraine asks us for training on its sovereign territory for mobilized soldiers – is that an escalation? No. It is not sending European soldiers to the front lines – it is recognizing Ukrainian sovereignty on its territory," he said.

Read also: Macron proposed sending military instructors to Ukraine; Biden rejected initiative – Politico