The Chief of Staff of the Army says he is ready “to deploy forces for the benefit of Ukraine” in 2026

The message is clear: France is willing to intervene in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. A day after the highest-ranking military officer stated that the French army must be “prepared for a clash in three, four years” against Russia, the chief of the Army General Staff addresses France’s preparations for 2026 in the war between Moscow and kyiv from 2022.

“We will be ready to deploy forces within the framework of security guarantees, if necessary for the benefit of Ukraine,” declared Pierre Schill in a hearing before the deputies of the Defense Committee of the National Assembly this Thursday, October 23.

The chief of the Army General Staff stressed on several occasions to the deputies France’s commitment to its allies. “The year 2026 will be under the sign of coalitions,” he launched, evoking, for example, the Orion 26 exercise that “will test our concepts of joint, inter-allied and even inter-ministerial employment.”

The “Russian threat” analyzed closely

Pierre Schill assures that the Army is prepared to manage “three alerts” simultaneously, including that of a possible deployment in Ukraine. It thus evokes in parallel “the level of national emergency”, with “7,000 soldiers ready to leave with staggered alert times from 12 hours to five days, even for sovereign national missions”, and “NATO’s first-level alert”, the ARF 2026, which will be “structuring”.

For several months now, the “Russian threat” has been taken seriously on all fronts in France. Whether on a national, European or international level, on the front lines or online, the Kremlin’s influence is closely scrutinized.

“Russia is involved in all threats,” former army chief of staff Thierry Bukhard warned in July. According to him, “the Kremlin has made France one of its priority targets.”

His successor, Fabien Mandon, also attacked Russia this Wednesday before the deputies of the Defense Committee, to justify in particular the country’s “effort to rearmament” at a time when savings are being asked for up to the highest summit of the State.