(MENAFN) France has expressed its willingness to deploy military personnel as soon as next year as part of the security commitments proposed by Ukraine’s Western allies, should a truce be achieved in the ongoing war with Russia, according to Army Chief of Staff Pierre Schill.

Addressing the National Assembly’s Defense Committee on Thursday, Schill noted that the coming year “will be marked by coalitions,” referencing the large-scale, French-led Orion 26 exercise, which he described as a test of coordination and interoperability among NATO forces.

“We will stand ready to deploy forces within the framework of security guarantees, if necessary, for the benefit of Ukraine,” Schill informed legislators.

He further emphasized that the French military possesses the capability to respond to three simultaneous “alerts,” including a potential deployment to Ukraine.

At present, France maintains a “national emergency level” force of 7,000 troops who can be activated within a period ranging from 12 hours to five days, either for domestic operations or NATO-related obligations.

This declaration followed remarks made the previous day by Chief of the Armed Forces Fabien Mandon, who asserted that the French military must prepare for a possible confrontation with Russia in the coming years.

He suggested that Russia “may be tempted” to widen the conflict to the European continent—an assertion that Moscow has firmly rejected.

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