Kremlin sends Macron horror warning that Russia is ready to slaughter French troops
Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly refused to rule out sending French troops to Ukraine, despite the Kremlin's threats.
One of Vladimir Putin's closest allies has warned French President Emmanuel Macron his soldiers will become a "legitimate target" should they set foot in Ukraine - even if they are not there to fight.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference: "Whoever they are labelled as, whether they are members of the French armed forces or are just mercenaries, they represent an absolutely legitimate target for our armed forces."
Similarly, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov didn't rule out the possibility for military personnel to become targets if they are in Ukraine, no matter their nationality or role.
He said: "Any instructors who are engaged in training the Ukrainian regime do not have any immunity. It does not matter whether they are French or not."
The French Army hasn't yet sent any military personnel to Ukraine to support the training of the war-torn country's soldiers.
Last week, the Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Syrsky claimed French military instructors would soon arrive in the country - a statement quickly "clarified" by Ukraine's Defence Ministry, which stressed Paris and Kyiv were "still in discussions" over the possibility.
The ministry added that it had "begun internal work on the relevant documents on this issue in order not to waste time on coordinating bureaucratic issues when the relevant decision is made."
Its French counterpart said the training on Ukrainian soil was one of the many projects being discussed.
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The Kremlin has warned multiple times that deploying NATO combat troops in Ukraine would plunge the military alliance into a direct war with Moscow.
Mr Macron, who earlier this year embraced a hardline against the Kremlin's unlawful invasion of Ukraine and Russia's threat to the West, has refused to rule out ever sending soldiers to the eastern European nation.
Speculation over French military instructors being sent to Ukraine came months after UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said British soldiers would not be sent to Ukraine as the war between Ukraine and Russia is ongoing.
Thousands of Ukrainians have been trained on British soil since the start of the invasion.
