The defense ministers of Germany and Spain announced on Tuesday plans to train thousands of Ukrainian troops as part of an EU program to support Kyiv’s response to Russia.
The European Union has launched the largest military training mission in its history, which aims to train 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers in various member states, Agerpres notes.
“In less than three months, this mission will be operational. This is a record time for Europeans,” said the head of European diplomacy, Spanish Josep Borrell, upon arriving at a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels.
German Minister Christine Lambrecht said Germany plans to train 5,000 soldiers in a “broad range of skills”.
His Spanish counterpart, Margarita Robles, said that her country would train 400 Ukrainian soldiers every two months, corresponding to 2,400 a year, in Toledo.
In October, France announced that it would train 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers on its territory.
How much does the European Union’s military support for Ukraine cost?
The main center of the mission will be in Poland, and the auxiliary headquarters will be established in Germany. The mission is expected to last two years and cost around 60 million euros per year.
It will be funded by the European Peace Fund, and European ministers are due to review the fund’s finances on Tuesday. “3.1 billion of the 5.7 billion allocated for seven years were mobilized for the supply of weapons to Kyiv,” Josep Borrell recalled. The funds are intended to reimburse member states for weapons from their stockpiles transferred to Ukraine.
The EU’s military support to Ukraine is estimated at eight billion euros, including funding from the European Peace Fund and bilateral arms supplies, Josep Borrell emphasized. This amount is equivalent to 45% of the aid provided by the United States.
The facility is financed by contributions from member states outside the common budget, and a new contribution of funds is being discussed, European sources said.
Together with their Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksiy Reznikov, the ministers will consider Ukraine’s military needs. He will speak via video conference and give an assessment of the situation on the ground after the capture of Kherson in the south of Ukraine.
The European Rapid Intervention Force should be ready by 2023
The Europeans will have to quickly restore their strategic reserves. “Aid to Ukraine is depleting many resources, and we must be able to restore them quickly,” French Minister Sébastien Lecornu explained after arriving in Brussels. “This is the key to our strategic autonomy,” he added.
Ministers will also examine two operational scenarios for the 5,000-strong European Rapid Response Force.
European forces assigned to evacuate European citizens affected by the conflict will have to be able to participate in combat missions. It should be “completely ready by 2023,” Josep Borrell said.
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