EU considering training Ukrainian troops inside Ukraine – media

The European Union is moving closer to a decision to train Ukrainian military personnel inside the country and to expand other forms of support, including border monitoring, assistance to veterans, and boosting cybersecurity.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported this, according to Ukrinform.

According to the outlet, the possibility of training Ukrainian troops in Ukraine is being considered as part of two strategic reviews — the EU Advisory Mission (EUAM), which focuses on strengthening the civilian security sector; and the EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM), which has so far trained 80,000 Ukrainian soldiers on EU soil. It is noted that the EU still is working out what security guarantees it can offer Kyiv if the war stops.

The strategic review of EUMAM notes that three training centers for military personnel have already been established in western Ukraine, but none are operating at full capacity due to a lack of proper infrastructure and qualified foreign instructors. It also points to several challenges associated with the absence of a training mission directly on Ukrainian territory — in particular, logistical burdens and the danger of Ukrainian troops having to travel far from the front line for training.

Moreover, the review emphasizes that  “training on EU soil, in a peacetime environment, hampers the use of UAV systems and electronic warfare assets, which are utilized extensively in this conflict”.

At the same time, the EUMAM review acknowledges that relocating part or all of the mission’s structures directly to Ukraine would only be possible if a truce or some form of ceasefire were established.

Such deployment, the document notes, would require coordination with the United States or the provision of security guarantees from the U.S. side.

Meanwhile, the strategic review of EUAM envisions expanding the mission’s areas of work, including enhancing Ukraine’s ability to control its borders with Russia and Belarus, as well as being present on any potential future contact line in the event of a ceasefire.

As reported by Ukrinform, at the end of August, EU defense ministers supported expanding the mandate of the EU Military Assistance Mission for Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) after the establishment of a truce, which would include deploying military instructors.

Illustrative photo: 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians