BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union defence ministers will discuss options to set up a military training mission for Ukrainian forces at an Aug. 29-30 meeting in Prague, the bloc’s foreign policy chief said on Wednesday.
“As EU, we have to see what else we can do in terms of support to Ukraine and increasing the cost of this war for Russia,” Josep Borrell said in a blog to mark Ukraine’s independence day, six months after Russia invaded the country.
“We will discuss this … in Prague next week, including on the issue of visas for Russian citizens and a possible EU training mission for Ukrainian armed forces.”
Borrell referred to the idea of an EU military training programme at a conference in Spain on Monday, explaining that it would not be based in Ukraine, but in neighbouring countries.
The 27-nation EU has launched more than 30 missions and operations over the past 20 years aimed at peacekeeping, conflict prevention and strengthening international security outside its borders.
Seventeen are deployed around the world, including a recently established training mission in Mozambique.
Borrell said Ukrainian troops are already being trained in Poland, the Czech Republic, Britain and France, including on weapons provided by these countries to assist with the war against Russia.
“It seems reasonable that a war that is going on and looks like it will last requires an effort not only in material supply, but also in training and helping to organise the army,” he said.
(Reporting by John Chalmers; Editing by Richard Chang)
