EU To Train Up To 15,000 Ukrainian Soldiers - Reports

The European Union will train up to 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers as part of a training mission, German magazine Spiegel reported Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd October, 2022) The European Union will train up to 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers as part of a training mission, German magazine Spiegel reported Monday.

EU member states have agreed that up to 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers should undergo training outside the country as soon as possible, with 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers to undergo special combat training for commanders and courses for engineers, the media said, citing sources.

The mission plans are to be made as early as mid-October, the media added.

On August 30, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed the hope that the EU defense ministers would achieve a political agreement on training Ukrainian forces. In mid-September, foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland said that the EU needs to set up a training mission for Ukrainian forces and help with maintenance of military equipment.

On February 24, Russia began a military operation in Ukraine responding to calls for help from Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics. Western countries responded by imposing comprehensive sanctions against Moscow while also ramping up their military support for Kiev and providing Ukrainian military with training on bilateral basis.

Moscow has warned the West against further involvement in the conflict, while the EU, the US and NATO have maintained that they are not part to the hostilities despite training Ukrainian soldiers, sending their instructors and hardware to Ukraine, and providing intelligence.