France ramps up war support for Ukraine, rebuilds armories

PARIS (AP) — France is pledging air defense missiles to protect Ukrainian cities against drone strikes, and an expanded training program for Ukrainian soldiers. The French defense minister said up to 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers will be embedded with military units in France, rotating through for several weeks of combat training, more specialized training in logistics and other needs, and training on equipment being supplied by France. Sébastien Lecornu, was speaking in an interview published Sunday in Le Parisien newspaper. France is also replenishing its own weaponry stocks after donating mobile howitzers and other weaponry to Ukraine. The minister said the French defense budget for 2023 will climb to its highest levels since World War II, at 44 billion euros.