"I love being a soldier, and the situation in Ukraine touched my heart. So I made this decision with my heart," one French volunteer said of his decision to travel to Ukraine.
French volunteers have been training with Ukraine's military intelligence-led International Legion, offering a glimpse inside what it's like for foreign fighters preparing to head to the front.
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The volunteers joined the legion's Revanche Tactical Group as they practiced assault tactics, weapons handling, and small-unit maneuvering.
One volunteer training with the unit, known as "Leon," said he had travelled to Ukraine as he wanted to "help and fight for the Ukrainian people".
"I love being a soldier, and the situation in Ukraine touched my heart. So I made this decision with my heart," he said.
International fighters have bolstered Kyiv's armed forces since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with volunteers from across the world signing up in support.
Ukraine has operated a number of foreign units - including the International Legion under the Ground Forces and the International Legion of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. The Ground Forces legion was reorganised in late 2025, with its soldiers transferred to other assault regiments. The move did not affect the DIU's foreign legion.
The legion describes itself as an "elite combat unit" featuring military personnel from around the globe and says it offers higher salaries than many other areas of Ukraine's armed forces.
It works under the Ukrainian defence intelligence service, which is involved in military intelligence activities spanning defence, construction, military technology, and cyber security. Videos posted to its social media accounts show its fighters carrying out drone strikes, launching infantry assaults on Russian positions, and conducting reconnaissance missions.
One obvious issue facing foreign recruits serving in Ukraine is the language barrier.
But "Viking," an instructor working with the French volunteers, said he was able to convey basic instructions and that he would sometimes have an interpreter working alongside him.
It comes as allies gear up for the 2026 NATO summit, which is set to take place in Ankara from 7 to 8 July.
NATO's European members and Canada are expected to pledge at the summit to send €70 billion in military aid to Kyiv both in 2026 and 2027.
Both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Donald Trump on Saturday about the war in Ukraine, Kyiv and Moscow said.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy said there was a "real prospect" of ending the war and that he and the US president had agreed to continue their talks during the upcoming NATO summit.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin and Trump held a one hour-and-25-minute call as the US celebrated its 250th birthday.
"The US President has once again reaffirmed his willingness to help bring about a swift end to hostilities and to seek peaceful solutions to the crisis," Ushakov said in a statement.