France has already trained 5,200 Ukrainian soldiers, and it plans to train a total of 7,000 military by the end of 2023, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th July, 2023) France has already trained 5,200 Ukrainian soldiers, and it plans to train a total of 7,000 military by the end of 2023, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Wednesday.
"France's support for Ukraine is not weakening. (...) Nearly 5,200 Ukrainian soldiers have already been trained by France, including 1,600 in Poland. There will be nearly 7,000 by the end of the year," Lecornu tweeted.
He also noted that training is conducted taking into account the needs of Ukrainian armed forces. In particular, the troops learn how to operate French military equipment transferred to them and practice modern combat tactics, the minister added.
The United Kingdom's government meanwhile announced on Wednesday that over 19,000 Ukrainian soldiers were trained in the country over the past six past months.
"In the past six months, the UK has also expanded its military training programme for Ukrainian recruits. This programme has trained more than 19,000 soldiers to date and training for Ukrainian pilots in the UK will begin this summer," the government statement said.
The UK also plans to create a medical center for the rehabilitation of Ukrainian soldiers within NATO framework, as well as allocate Kiev 50 million Pounds ($65 million) to repair military equipment and, together with other G7 countries, will provide "thousands of additional rounds" for Challenger 2 tanks and over 70 combat and logistics vehicles.
Earlier in the day, the G7 members presented the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine agreed at the NATO summit in Vilnius. The declaration provides for the allocation of additional military equipment, expanded intelligence sharing, new training programs for the Ukrainian military, as well as the development of industrial capacities.
