EU to continue mission of training Ukrainian military – Borrell

The European Union plans to extend the mandate of the Military Assistance Mission to Ukraine (EUMAM) for two years.

The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, announced that during a press conference after the meeting of EU foreign ministers.

The European diplomat stressed the importance of continued training for Ukraine's armed forces, as the front line has become longer this summer, and the Ukrainian military is under significant pressure.

"We must continue to provide Ukraine's armed forces with more opportunities and increase our training mission. We will extend EUMAM's mandate for the next two years," Borrell said.

The diplomat hopes that the bloc can find a consensus on the solution.

Earlier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Péter Szijjártó, stated that the European Union allegedly considers sending military advisers to Ukraine as part of this mission.

"We will definitely not support, we will not vote for it, the war must end […] We do not support any initiative that increases the risk of escalation of the war, that's why we said no to it," Szijjártó said.

He believes that placing military advisers in Ukraine is a "dangerous proposition." Budapest has already informed the Foreign Affairs Service of the European Union in Brussels that it will not support the initiative in this form and has, therefore, requested that it be revised.

In August, Borrell announced that the European Union had decided to increase the scope of its training program for Ukrainian military personnel by the end of the year to train 75,000 soldiers. However, the bloc's member states could not agree on holding the exercises in Ukraine.

In addition, the European Union intends to change Ukraine's military support system due to Hungary's veto, which is loyal to the Russian Federation.

For reference:

The Interflex mission is currently in progress in Britain. Ten allied nations are training Ukrainian military members. To ensure the most efficient training, a unique training facility has been constructed in Britain. According to reports, the training ground's resources and layout will enable the military to gain valuable experience in conducting urban combat operations.

The Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom also equipped 30,000 Ukrainian service members trained in Britain with the necessary equipment for the front line.

In addition, instructors from Australia, within the scope of the training operation, helped the Ukrainian military practice preparing for proactive actions during the passage of a psychological strip in dense forests.

In addition, under the leadership of Danish instructors, Ukrainian service members are trained in conducting positional combat operations: they practice preparing, capturing, and holding a position.

Also, in Canada, Ukrainian combat medics are trained with the addition of special effects.

It should be added that the Czech Republic is considering conducting additional training for 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers in its country.

On October 10, it was announced that the French military is currently training 2,300 Ukrainian soldiers from the newly established Anne of Kyiv brigade.