 Paris, preparing to deploy troops to Ukraine, battle of Russian and French soldiers expected there. France is preparing its forces for deployment to Ukraine, the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin, claimed in a statement. Paris, allegedly, seeks to send as many as 2,000 troops to Ukraine, he said. French President Emmanuel Macron said last month that he cannot exclude the possibility of Western soldiers being sent to aid Kiev in its fight against Moscow, branding Russia an adversary while denying Paris was waging war against it. Russia's military and top officials have repeatedly pointed to the presence of French mercenaries already fighting for Kiev on the ground. In mid-January, the Russian Defense Ministry said that more than 60 foreigners, predominantly French, nationals had been killed in a high-precision strike against a temporary assembly point of foreign fighters. In the statement, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service chief said the French armed forces had become concerned about the rising number of French nationals dying in Ukraine. According to the spy chief, the French military is worried about the government's plans to send the contingent to Ukraine, considering that such an operation would be difficult to conduct without Russia noticing. The French soldiers would indeed become a legitimate priority target for attacks by the Russian armed forces. The claims come as the chief of staff of the French Army, General Pierre Schill, said in an interview that France is prepared to take part in the toughest engagements militarily and is ready to face any international developments. He added that Paris could assemble a division of 20,000 troops within 30 days and an army of 60,000 by joining with divisions from other NATO allies. Schill said France has international responsibilities and is linked by defence agreements to states exposed to major threats and must therefore have its forces trained and interoperable with allied armies. He added that nuclear deterrent is not a universal guarantee because it does not guard against conflicts that would remain below the threshold of vital interests. Schill said that the army must show itself a credible force through responsiveness in terms of force projection and the ability to carry out operations of increased scope. European President Vladimir Putin has also claimed that Western mercenaries, including French nationals, are dying in Ukraine in large numbers. Commenting on a potential NATO deployment to Ukraine, the President also warned that this would be one step shy of a full-scale World War III. The European Union is moving into a war economy mode due to Russian aggression. The EU must revise its military strategy and drastically ramp up defence production to help Ukraine in the conflict with Russia. European Council President Charles Michel said the call comes as Kiev has increasingly warned of ammunition shortages. Writing in an op-ed published by the La Libre Belgique newspaper and the Euractive website, Michel claimed that Moscow is a serious military threat to our European continent and global security. If we do not get the EU's response right and do not give Ukraine enough support to stop Russia, we are next. He added. The EU, Council Chief, argued that for decades Europe has failed to invest sufficiently in our security and defence, and now urgently needs a radical and irreversible shift in our thinking towards a strategic security mindset. We must therefore be defence ready and shift to a war economy mode. It's time to take responsibility for our security. We can no longer count on others or be at the mercy of election cycles in the US or elsewhere. He added. The bloc's defence production has increased by 50% since the start of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Michel said, adding that the bloc will double ammunition production to over 2 million shells yearly by the end of next year. The EU has been struggling to procure enough weapons and ammunition for Kiev's needs as Ukrainian and international politicians and experts, as well as soldiers on the battlefield, are blaming shortages for the losses of territory to Russia. The shipments were further delayed when US President Joe Biden's $61 billion aid package stalled in Congress due to political infighting between Democrats and Republicans. The bill remains in limbo due to opposition from GOP legislators. The situation with the supply of Western air defence systems to Kiev is particularly dire. According to the New York Times, the newspaper cited an official US assessment in early February which stated that, without replenishment, Ukraine's air defence could operate only until March 2024. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has renewed his call for additional deliveries warning in February that an artificial deficit of weapons would only help Russia.