The European Union could offer Ukraine’s armed forces sniper, demining or officer training under a new mission that the bloc’s foreign policy chief plans to propose to member states this week, according to Bloomberg.
Josep Borrell is to propose an EU training mission to Ukraine, aiming to secure the political support of defense ministers when they gather in Prague today.
While Ukraine’s needs evolve, Kyiv has identified some specific training needs, including for medical, demining and sniper missions, as well as various types of officer training, according to a document obtained by Bloomberg. The non-paper sent to member states by the EU’s foreign policy arm broadly sets out the scope of the mission that Borrell will formally propose.
“After further assurances from the Ukrainian armed forces and consultations with partners – including the US and the UK – one or some of the aforementioned tasks could be supported by this EU training mission,” the document said, referring to the Ukrainian Armed forces.
As part of the bloc’s common security and defense policy, the EU has set up training missions in the Central African Republic, Mozambique and Mali to support the armed forces there and help them become more effective and self-sustaining.
Various training efforts for Ukrainian soldiers have already begun, including by the US and the UK. Countries such as Canada and Sweden have been added to the list to offer thousands of Ukrainian soldiers basic training in the coming months. The Netherlands and Germany have also jointly trained Ukrainian soldiers in the use of Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzers.
At a meeting of senior EU diplomats last week, at least one member state raised concerns that a wider mission could escalate tensions with Russia, according to a person familiar with the matter. Several member states have raised questions about why there is a need for the mission at this stage and how best to ensure it does not overlap with other efforts to train Ukrainian forces, the person said.
The document says EU and other education missions should be “complementary and mutually reinforcing”.
Given Russia’s ongoing incursion into Ukraine, the EU’s training mission should operate within the bloc as a temporary measure, the document said, adding that “the mission could eventually be deployed to Ukraine when conditions permit and if Member States decide”.
The EU document says an offer from an EU country neighboring Ukraine to host the mission there “would significantly accelerate the deployment of the mission and facilitate logistical support”. He also says the mission could eventually be supplemented with additional special financial assistance through the so-called European Peace Mechanism to support the delivery of equipment.
Member states have already agreed to allocate up to €2.5 billion to support the delivery of arms and other aid to Ukraine.
Source: Capital
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