Ukrainian forces receive EU training
German and Spanish defense ministers on Tuesday announced plans to train thousands of Ukrainian military personnel under a European Union (EU) program to help support Kyiv’s response to Russia. The European Union has launched the largest military training mission in its history, aiming to educate and train 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers in various member states. “Within three months, this work will be operational. It was a record time for Europeans.European Diplomacy chief Joseph Borrell underlined.
Germany plans to train 5,000 soldiers “Wide Range of Skills”German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced. His Spanish counterpart, Margarita Robles, said her country would train 400 Ukrainian soldiers every two months in Toledo, or 2,400 a year. France announced in October that it would train 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers on its border.
The main operational center will be located in Poland and the secondary headquarters will be located in Germany. The work is planned for an initial period of two years and is expected to cost around 60 million euros per year. It will be funded by the European Peace Facility (EFF) and European ministers are due to examine its financial status on Tuesday. That Mr. Borrell recalled “Of its 5.7 billion over seven years, 3.1 was raised to provide arms”. The funds are used to pay back weapons taken from member states’ stockpiles and delivered to Ukraine.
The EU’s military support to Ukraine is estimated at 8 billion euros between EPF funds and bilateral arms supplies, Joseph Borrell stressed. This amount is equivalent to 45% of US aid. A European force responsible for conducting evacuation interventions for European nationals caught in the conflict should be involved in combat operations. She should be “Fully operational by 2023”Reported by Joseph Borrell.