The EU will double the capacity of its training mission to train 30,000 Ukrainian military

BRUSELAS, 1 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The European Union will increase the capacity of its training mission for Ukrainian troops and aims to train 30,000 soldiers, in an effort to double the initial capacity of the operation established last October to help the Ukrainian Army combat Russian aggression in the coming two years.

European sources confirm this announcement that will become official this Thursday on the trip of the college of commissioners to kyiv, with President Ursula von der Leyen at the helm, to meet face to face with the Ukrainian government.

In this way, the EU redoubles its mission of military assistance to Ukraine (EUAM) and doubles the objectives of the mission, including the training of Ukrainian soldiers in systems such as the Western Leopard tanks that countries such as Germany, Poland or Spain have committed to supply.

This step represents "a great effort" for the European mission, say the sources, who nevertheless stress that it is a new sign of military support for Ukraine in the face of new Russian attacks. "We must not wait for Russia to reinforce its attacks," say the sources, who stress that it is the most "successful" and "fast" mission in the history of the EU.

In this sense, the item of 45 million euros agreed a few weeks ago by the European Foreign Ministers is also understood to supply more material and resources to the operation, in which more than 20 Member States participate and which has its main bases in Germany and Poland but it is coordinated directly from the EU military commands in Brussels.