Volodymyr Kogutyak: European military instructors should be in Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration

Volodymyr Kogutyak, UWC Vice President for Western Europe and Association of Ukrainians in France (AUF) Vice President, and Chair of the UWC Advocacy Committee.

Source: Espreso

Paris-based newspaper Le Monde recently published an appeal signed by intellectuals, defense specialists and influential people in society who called for French and European military instructors to be sent to Ukraine.

I’m 33 years old and have lived in France for 20 years. I’ve done all I can to support Ukraine for 10 of those years, thus a third of my life has been devoted to this effort. My choice of not taking up arms isn’t a matter of comfort. It’s more about making a confident impact in two areas: to explain here that the future of Europe and the free world is being decided in Ukraine, and to achieve significant results. 

Taking on the initiative to send French instructors to Ukraine is an example what I wouldn’t achieve in Ukraine. 

This spring, French President Emmanuel Macron initiated a plan to send military instructors to Ukraine to bolster the country’s defense capabilities. They were supposed to arrive in the summer, but because of the political crisis in France that led to a hung parliament, this plan wasn’t implemented. 

We’ve witnessed over the past few months an escalation of Russian aggression, with North Koreans joining the foray of the war against Ukraine. In addition, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated in January and we don’t know what his policy will be toward Ukraine.

Together with Nicolas Tenzer, a prominent French academic and huge friend of Ukraine, we have embarked on an effort to collect signatures from well-known French personalities, who hold sway in society as well as in the French government.

We’ve outlined the purpose of this project in all our meetings, which is to show Russia that France and Europe isn’t afraid of it. Furthermore, to say that Russia is a criminal state that employs terrorism to achieve its goals. Moscow only attacks the weak. Therefore, if Europeans don’t want to live under bombardment as the Ukrainians do, then they should show their might and courage to deter Russia from further actions in Ukraine and Europe. As They too must, in these difficult times, behave in a manner worthy of the values of freedom and democracy in which they have the opportunity to live. 

The French president from the outset didn’t get sufficient support for this initiative. However, today, when Russia threatens Europeans on a daily basis, Europe is beginning to realize what we’ve said all along: Ukraine is protecting Europe. Thus, Europeans must do everything possible to ensure their security. 

The immediate dispatch of military instructors to Ukraine will strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities, demonstrate European solidarity and determination, and be another step toward preventing further Russian aggression. 

Ideally, instructors from several European countries should go to Ukraine before Donald Trump is inaugurated as U.S. president. In this way, Europe will show a position of strength and provide additional arguments in the U.S. to support Europe and Ukraine. 

This initiative has gained momentum in France the last few days. French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barros said he doesn’t rule out the possibility of sending French instructors or even troops to Ukraine in the near future. 

Still, the danger may lie in the length of time it takes for various European states to weigh this decision, and that is why we are doing everything possible here so that this idea can be implemented in the coming weeks or even days.

Europe should also, in this critical moment, stop heeding the instructions of the U.S. and Russia, and take responsibility for its future and safety. It’s time for Europe to take ownership on its own.