Kyiv Retracts Statement on French Army Trainers Going to Ukraine
According to Russian officials, Western ‘specialists’ have already been identified in Ukraine as mercenaries.
Ukraine’s defense ministry has retracted its earlier statement regarding the arrival of French instructors to help train Ukrainian military personnel.
In a social media statement, the ministry clarified that discussions with France and other countries were ongoing and that internal preparations were being made to avoid delays in the event of a decision.
This clarification came after Ukrainian army chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi announced an agreement with Paris to allow French instructors to visit training centers in Ukraine.
The French Defense Ministry later clarified that sending military instructors to Ukraine was still under discussion.
According to the ministry, the training plans on Ukrainian soil were being discussed to meet the exact needs of the Ukrainian military.
While some Western countries have considered sending military personnel to Ukraine, most have refrained from publicly supporting the idea to avoid escalating the conflict with Russia.
Despite some NATO allies being in favor of sending trainers to Ukraine, the US and others have maintained that they do not plan to deploy personnel to the country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has alleged that Western specialists are in Ukraine disguised as mercenaries and are facing increasing difficulties in concealing their losses.
