President Emmanuel Macron has released video footage of French military instructors working with Ukrainian soldiers in preparation for their conflict with Russia.

“Over 2,300-strong Ukrainian unit will be equipped by the French military,” Macron announced on Wednesday. These troops are currently stationed in the Grand Est region of northeastern France.

The program was first announced in June. About 1,500 French military personnel are involved, according to the government. Macron visited the training grounds on Wednesday, accompanied by Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov.

After the training is complete, the unit will be armed with 128 armored vehicles, 18 Caesar artillery pieces, 8 AMX-10 RC armored combat vehicles, 10 trucks, and 20 Milan anti-tank missile systems.

The newly trained French unit has been named ‘Anne of Kiev,’ in honor of the daughter of the medieval Prince of Kiev, Yaroslav the Wise, who married French King Henry I in 1051 and ruled France for six years following the king’s death.

Simultaneously, the French Air Force is training Ukrainian pilots and mechanics on how to operate Mirage 2000 fighter jets, some of which are expected to be transferred to Kiev as early as next year.

In early 2024, Macron urged NATO allies not to dismiss the idea of deploying their own troops to Ukraine to support Kiev’s military efforts. However, this proposal was largely rejected by other Western countries.

The French leader later expressed his intention to keep the Russian government uncertain about the extent of support the US-led military alliance might offer Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is currently visiting European countries and was in France on Thursday.

He was scheduled to present his ‘victory plan’ to a group of international arms donors at a conference at the US Air Base Ramstein in Germany on Saturday.

However, the meeting was postponed after US President Joe Biden withdrew to address the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.