de flag go to the original language article
This article has been translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The news agency is not responsible for the content of the translated article. The original was published by APA.

Majority in the EU against military training in Ukraine

by AI | 30.Aug 2024 | Europe in brief AI

The majority of EU countries have opposed the idea of EU military trainers training Ukrainian soldiers on-site in Ukraine. However, training activities could be relocated geographically closer to Ukraine, said Arnold Kammel, Secretary General and Director General of Defense Policy at the Ministry of Defense, in an interview with APA.

Archive image - One possibility is to move the training geographically closer to Ukraine. Photo: Wojtek Radwanski / AFP

EU-wide/Brussels – At the informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels on Friday, the possibility of training Ukrainian soldiers on-site, i.e., in Ukraine itself, as part of the EU training mission was discussed. However, a majority of the EU states opposed this, said Arnold Kammel, Secretary-General and Director-General of Defense Policy at the Ministry of Defense, in conversation with the APA. One possibility, however, is to relocate the training geographically closer to Ukraine.

Kammel represented Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) on Friday at an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels. The ministers discussed in the morning the expansion of the EU training mission for Ukrainian soldiers (EUMAM Ukraine). There was agreement to extend the mission’s mandate until November 15, 2026, Kammel confirmed. However, the final decision still had to be made.

There is no exact number of additional Ukrainian soldiers to be trained during this time, said the Secretary-General. Countries that still had capacity could make it available to Ukraine. By extending the mandate, the training of Ukrainian troops would be financed through the European Peace Facility (EFF). (08/30/2024)