EU to propose new training mission to boost Ukraine’s military

The European Union could offer Ukraine’s armed forces sniper, de-mining or officer training as part of a new mission the bloc’s foreign policy chief plans to propose to member states this week.

Josep Borrell is due to suggest an E.U. training mission for Ukraine, with the aim of clinching political backing from defense ministers when they gather in Prague starting Monday evening.

While Ukraine’s needs are evolving, Kyiv has identified some specific training needs, including for medical, de-mining and sniper missions, as well as various kinds of officer training, according to a document obtained by Bloomberg. The non-paper sent to member states by the E.U.’s foreign policy arm broadly lays out the scope of the mission that Borrell will formally propose.

“Upon further validation by the UAF and consultations with partners — including the US and the UK — one or a number of the above-mentioned tasks could be supported by this EU” training mission, the document says, referring to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Under the bloc’s common security and defense policy, the E.U. has established training missions in the Central African Republic, Mozambique and Mali to support armed forces there and help them become more efficient and self-sustaining.

Various training efforts for Ukrainian soldiers have already been underway, including by the U.S. and the U.K. The U.K. has been joined by countries including Canada and Sweden to offer thousands of Ukrainian soldiers basic training over the coming months. The Netherlands and Germany have also jointly trained Ukrainian soldiers on use of the Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzers.

At a meeting of senior E.U. diplomats last week, at least one member state raised concerns that a broader mission could escalate tensions with Russia, according to a person familiar with the matter. Several member states raised questions about why there was a need for the mission at this stage, and how to best ensure it wouldn’t overlap with other efforts to train Ukrainian forces, the person said.

The document says the E.U. and other training missions should be “complementary and mutually reinforcing.”

Given Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the E.U. training mission would have to operate within the bloc as a temporary measure, the document says, adding “the mission could eventually be deployed in Ukraine, when conditions allow and if decided by member states.”

The E.U. document says an offer from an E.U. country neighboring Ukraine to base the mission there would “significantly speed up the mission’s deployment and facilitate logistics.” It says the mission could also eventually be complemented with additional specific financial assistance via the so-called European Peace Facility to support the delivery of equipment.

A spokesperson for Borrell didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

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.