Emmanuel Macron to meet Ukrainian troops training at French military camp

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit a military camp in eastern France on Wednesday to meet Ukrainian soldiers being trained by French troops.

The exact location of the military camp is kept secret due to security concerns.

The event will mark the first time that the French head of state has met with Ukrainian troops on French soil.

Macron will be accompanied by French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu and his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov.

Lecornu first announced the training of Ukrainian soldiers on French territory in October 2022.

This summer, Macron used the state visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy to announce that France would be training and equipping an entire brigade.

Ready for battle

A total of 2,300 Ukrainian soldiers are set to be trained in the camp over the next two months, forming three battalions of infantry, engineers, artillery teams and other specialists.

According to the Elysée Palace, the cohort is made up of both younger recruits who have recently joined the army and more experienced servicemen who have served in different units.

Ukrainian soldiers will be “trained to meet the challenges they face daily” on the battlefield with real-life scenarios taken into account.

In addition, France is equipping the brigade with 150 armoured vehicles, including AMX light tanks, Caesar cannons and other weapons.

France is the first country to train an entire brigade on its soil. “In terms of the number of soldiers trained and the duration of the training, this is an unprecedented exercise,” the Elysée said.

France has already trained more than 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to the Elysée.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned on Tuesday that Ukraine could be facing its harshest winter yet, calling on allies to step up their support.