Paris says sending “combat” ground forces to Ukraine is not on the table

French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecornu, clarified on Friday that sending “combat ground forces” to Ukraine is not on the table, announcing, on the other hand, that three French companies will produce or maintain weapons on Ukrainian soil.

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On February 26, President Emmanuel Macron sparked intense controversy by refusing to rule out “in principle” the option of sending Western forces to Ukraine in the future, following the Paris conference that brought together the leaders of countries allied with Ukraine, most of them European.

According to the Minister of the Armed Forces, the ruling issued by the French head of state was “largely taken out of context.”

“The assumptions were clearly put on the table and not the combat ground forces as was said here or there, because during this particular press conference the President of the Republic said that there is no joint aggression,” Sebastien Lecornu announced on BFMTV.

There are ways to be explored to mine and train Ukrainian soldiers on Ukrainian territory. “The more Ukraine needs to recruit and upgrade its army, the more training it needs to increase,” he added.

The minister also specified that three French companies will create partnerships to produce and maintain weapons and spare parts on Ukrainian territory: drone manufacturer Delair, Nexter, and the French branch of the Franco-German company KNDS, which produces the guns delivered by the Tsar to Kiev and Arkos. , a French manufacturer of ground military equipment, has concluded a contract for the maintenance of armored front vehicles (VAB).

On Thursday, 28 countries participated in a follow-up meeting to the Paris conference dedicated to supporting Ukraine.

The Ministers of Defense and/or Foreign Affairs of these countries worked on eight projects: munitions, principles of destruction, cyber and electronic warfare, border protection, protection of vulnerable states, demining, on-site industrial production in Ukraine and the “Ninth Coalition”. On missiles.