ANKARA

Paris will train up to 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers in France, the French defense minister has said, as Kyiv battles Russian forces.

Ukrainian soldiers will soon be assigned to French units for several weeks, Sebastien Lecornu told the Le Parisien newspaper, according to Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform.

Lecornu said the training will focus “on three levels: general combat training, training for specific needs reported by Ukraine, and training with the equipment provided.”

He said France will also supply Ukraine with Crotale air defense systems, which are used to intercept low-flying missiles and aircraft.

The minister said France had delivered 18 Caesar howitzers and was also weighing the delivery of ground-to-ground missiles.

Ukraine said on Thursday that it signed a grant agreement with France in the fields of security and defense.

In an interview earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron said "we are going to continue to support the Ukrainian resistance and boost our military assistance."

He said Paris is helping Kyiv to "resist on its soil, never to attack Russia," and urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to "stop this war and respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity."

Ukrainian forces made advances in recent weeks, while Moscow called up more reservists and annexed four Ukrainian regions following "sham" referendums.