Canada may extend its military training mission in Ukraine – source

Canada may announce on Monday that it is extending a 200-strong military training mission in Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan are scheduled to hold a news conference at 1 p.m. (18:00 GMT) on Monday.

“It is the Ukraine extension,” said the source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, Reuters reports.

A spokeswoman for Sajjan declined to comment, while representatives for Freeland did not reply to requests for comment.

As noted, the troops, who first went to Ukraine in 2015, are due out at the end of March. Political and military sources had made clear the soldiers would stay longer, given continuing tensions between Ukraine and Russia.

Canada will not be sending any additional trainers, the source added.

Canada’s defense ministry said in December that the contingent had trained more than 10,000 members of the Ukrainian security forces.

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