The European Union wants to train 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers, doubling its original target, to help Kiev cope with the Russian invasion, an EU official said on Wednesday, as quoted by AFP.

In November, the EU-27 introduced a training program for 15,000 Ukrainians in its member states.

“This figure will probably be reached by the end of the second quarter of this year, and there will be a new goal of training 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers by various European countries,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

“This will make it possible to increase the number of soldiers who have undergone training under this framework to 30,000,” he added.

Training takes place in several European countries, and the main center of the mission is in Poland, which borders Ukraine.

This new target, which will be officially announced at the Ukraine-EU summit in Kyiv on Friday, comes as the Americans and Europeans step up military support for Ukraine.

After weeks of hesitation, the US and Germany announced a week ago that they would deliver heavy tanks to Ukraine, marking a new step in military support for Kyiv in anticipation of a possible counteroffensive to a Russian invasion.

Berlin will supply Kiev with fourteen Type 2A6 Leopard 2 tanks from its army’s Bundeswehr stockpile and has decided to allow its Western allies, who own these German-made tanks, to do the same. Washington announced the shipment of 31 Abrams tanks.

According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine expects “from 120 to 140” Western tanks to repel the Russian army.

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