Our children will not go to fight and die in Ukraine, promised Frencg government`s Spokesperson, Maud Bregeon, following the controversy sparked by the Chief of the Defence Staff, who suggested that France should "accept losing its children".

"Let`s be very clear: our children, in the sense we mean it, will not go to fight and die in Ukraine", declared Maud Bregeon on TF1, reiterating that France has "a professional army": "The Chief of the Defence Staff was referring to all those soldiers who, as he mentioned shortly before this segment, are deployed all over the world and are between 18 and 27 years old. We cannot ignore that a number of these soldiers have fallen in overseas operations".

On Tuesday, speaking before the congress of mayors of France, General Mandon deemed it necessary for the country to restore its "strength of soul to accept hurting ourselves in order to protect what we are" and to be ready to "accept losing its children".