EU to reach consensus on Ukraine training mission

Bloomberg

European Union countries agreed to start hammering out the details of a proposed training mission for Ukraine’s armed forces, with countries including Belgium and Slovakia offering to host the initiative.
The bloc’s defense ministers agreed “on launching the work necessary to define the parameters for an EU military assistance mission for Ukraine,” Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, told reporters after a meeting in Prague. Preparatory work will include contacts with Kyiv and defining legal and operational parameters, he added.
Countries including Belgium and Slovakia earlier Tuesday offered to host training for the new mission, proposed by Borrell in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Member states have already agreed to allocate as much as 2.5 billion euros ($2.5 billion) to support the delivery of weapons and other aid to Ukraine.
Several member states had previously raised questions over the legality of hosting such a mission within the EU and outside Ukraine, according to EU diplomats. Typically, EU training missions take place directly in third countries but hosting this one in Ukraine would risk dragging European countries into conflict with Russia.
Borrell said Ukraine would be better served by EU states pooling their resources, including for “high level training, organizing logistics, organizing military health, providing protection against nuclear or chemical weapons.”
Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder said in an interview that her country was ready to offer de-mining or other training in Belgium or abroad with other partners.
“We have a known expertise in de-mining but we need to see what is demanded, what corresponds to the needs,” Dedonder said. “It could be Belgium, it could be other countries with Belgium so we could bring capacities — either for special forces, medical, we have to see.”
Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said the Netherlands and Germany had jointly proposed to offer de-mining training possibly in Germany, with the option of other countries joining in. However, Germany and the Netherlands won’t wait for the EU mission to be set up, Ollongren said, adding they could be incorporated into a wider EU mission later.