NATO Ally Could Command 60,000 Strong Force in Ukraine: General

French troops are ready for "the toughest engagements," the commander of the country's ground forces has said, as President Emmanuel Macron mulls an official military deployment to Ukraine despite repeated Russian threats of retaliation.

In an op-ed published by French daily Le Monde on Tuesday, General Pierre Schill—France's ground forces chief—said his forces are "ready" if called upon, and that a display of French military muscle would "deter any attack on France."

Macron is at the forefront of a nascent proposal by a handful of NATO nations to discuss sending allied forces into Ukraine in training and advisory roles, though not as combat troops. The Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, as well as Poland, have expressed support of Paris' position, though large NATO states like the U.S. and Germany are opposed.

Schill said France could engage a division of 20,000 troops within 30 days to operate as part of an allied coalition. Paris, he added, would be able to command a force of around 60,000 soldiers made up of French and other allied troops. The French army comprises some 121,000 soldiers, with 24,000 reservists.