European powers weigh military training missions in Ukraine
European countries have resumed discussing sending soldiers or private military company employees to Ukraine. "For now, we're talking about training Ukrainian soldiers, sharing military expertise, and repairing equipment," writes Le Monde.
The debates about sending Western soldiers to Ukraine began in February when French President Emmanuel Macron publicly expressed a similar idea.
The idea "revived in recent days"
"Although many countries, primarily Germany, have strongly opposed it, this idea has not been abandoned and has indeed revived in recent weeks," Le Monde reports, citing its sources. This topic was discussed during the visit of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to France on 11th November.
"Negotiations between the UK and France are ongoing regarding defence cooperation aimed at creating a strong group of allies in Europe, focused on Ukraine and European security as a whole," the source informed.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, during a visit to London, in an interview with the BBC on 23rd November, urged Western allies not to "set red lines" regarding support for Ukraine. When asked about the possibility of sending French troops to Ukraine, he replied: "We are not ruling out any options."
"As of now, there is no official agreement for such actions—neither for regular troops nor for private companies," notes Le Monde, but proposals on this matter "have been on the table for several months." One of the potential contractors is the company "Defence Conseil International (DCI)."
"DCI," 55% owned by the state, with a staff consisting of 80% former soldiers, specialises in transferring military expertise to France's international partners on behalf of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, offering consultations, training, and support in military capabilities, according to the information on the company's website.
"DCI is ready to train Ukrainian soldiers in Ukraine, just as it currently does in France and Poland," writes Le Monde. The company could also, if necessary, handle the maintenance of French military equipment transferred to Kyiv. British company "Babcock" has already approached "DCI" with a proposal for cooperation, stating in May that "work is underway" to establish technical support facilities in Ukraine, including a place for ongoing and major repairs of military equipment.
"Powerful deterrent"
"The British Armed Forces are considering sending small groups of instructors to western Ukraine," reported The Times in October. This would help resolve some logistical issues related to training Ukrainian soldiers in the UK and save resources.
- The instructors would conduct intensive basic training for recruits in remote, uninhabited areas away from the frontline before being sent to the front, said a British military official.
Meanwhile, according to a Ukrainian source, changing the training location would be a "strong military-political signal" for other countries and Russia itself, essentially marking the beginning of NATO military infrastructure development on Ukrainian territory, which would be a "powerful deterrent."
- Preparations to send European troops to Ukraine are also necessary to protect the country from a new Russian aggression if a peace agreement is reached, Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said last week.
He added that if the United States continues to oppose Ukraine's admission to NATO, "Europe will have to take on the mission of defending it by deploying troops on its territory after the end of military actions."
"France and the United Kingdom are also considering this possibility," emphasises Le Monde.
