Macron visits Ukrainian soldiers undergoing training in France
French President Emmanuel Macron has visited Ukrainian soldiers from the 155th Infantry Brigade who are undergoing training in the Grand Est region in eastern France.
Macron was accompanied by French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
"I want to wish you success! For our part, we will make every effort to prepare you as best as possible," Macron said.
For more than half an hour, he talked with the Ukrainian military, came up to each of them and asked where exactly they had fought and how much and what kind of training they lacked.
Macron also published footage from the Ukrainian brigade's exercises on his X account.
About 2,300 Ukrainian military personnel are currently undergoing training in France. They will form three infantry battalions and auxiliary units - engineering, artillery, reconnaissance, ground and air surveillance. In order to complete the training and bring the number of the brigade up to 4,500 people, the rest should be trained in Ukraine.
According to the French side, after the exercises are completed, the brigade will be fully equipped with 128 armored fighting vehicles, 18 Caesar guns, 18 AMX10RC armored vehicles, 10 TRMs - special vehicles for difficult road conditions - and 20 anti-tank missile launchers. France will also provide the Ukrainians with air-to-ground ammunition.
The French president earlier announced his intention to prepare and equip a full Ukrainian infantry brigade of 4,500 soldiers during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Paris on June 7.