Canada allows the possibility of sending a limited number of military personnel to train Ukrainian soldiers on Ukrainian territory, but on the condition that the training takes place away from the front as part of a non-combat mission, Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said.
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“This needs to be done in a careful and limited manner, the ability to provide training. I don’t want to place Canadian Forces personnel close to a theater of operations that would create the impression that we are in some way taking on a combat role,” the minister said in a statement.
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He added that in Paris this week the possibility of training Ukrainian soldiers on the territory of their country was discussed. At the same time, a number of countries expressed concern that this mission could be regarded as a combat mission.
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“I think that the parties have reached a broad consensus that this is unacceptable and we will not do this,” the minister emphasized.
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Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the EU had agreed to create a “ninth coalition for deep strikes” – supplying Ukraine with medium- and long-range missiles. He also said that France will do everything to prevent Russia “from winning this war.” According to him, the leaders of Western countries have discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, but no consensus has yet been reached. Shortly after Macron’s statements, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Germany would not send its troops to Ukraine, and Scholz stressed that NATO countries as a whole were not going to do this. In addition, the Chancellor again stated that there are no plans to send long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. Later, Macron, who was sharply criticized for statements about the possibility of sending soldiers to Ukraine, said that all his words about the conflict in Ukraine had been considered.
