Request to send French instructors to train Ukrainian soldiers is legitimate, Macron says

euronews (in English)

French President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted Ukraine's EU accession talks to begin 'by the end of the month' and the request to send French instructors to train Ukrainian soldiers in their homeland is a legitimate one.

Transcript

00:00French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Bridget welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr

00:13Zelensky and his wife to the Elysee Palace in Paris on Friday.

00:19Zelensky was also in France to seek more Western help as his forces battle to starve off a

00:23Russian onslaught near the eastern city of Kharkiv.

00:29France will also start training Ukrainian pilots, Macron said as he repeated that Ukraine

00:34should be allowed to use weapons provided by its Western allies to target Russian military

00:39targets.

00:42Zelensky and his wife attended the 80th anniversary events in Normandy with President Joe Biden

00:48and European leaders who have supported Kyiv's efforts in the war, now in its third year.

00:58U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday for the first time publicly apologized to Ukraine

01:03for a month-long congressional holdup in American military assistance.

01:11Once again French President Emmanuel Macron has reaffirmed his strong support to Ukraine

01:17this Friday in Paris.

01:18Macron said that he would like for Ukraine's accession talks to the European Union to start

01:24by the end of the month.

01:25And when it comes to the big question on whether France is going to send their instructors

01:30to train Ukrainian soldiers on the ground, well Macron called this request by Ukrainian

01:36President Volodymyr Zelensky a legitimate one.

01:39However he did say that he would like to cooperate with other countries in order to finalize

01:44a coalition soon.

01:46However the French President did refuse to name which countries are interested in participating.

01:52And the question of sending foreign instructors to Ukraine will surely be a very big subject

01:57of debate next weekend in Switzerland as more than 100 countries will gather in Birkenstock

02:05in order to discuss how to broker peace in Ukraine.

02:09Sofia Katselkova reporting from Paris for Euronews.

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