The EU defense ministers are studying tomorrow to create a training mission for the Ukrainian Army
European diplomatic sources see “high probabilities” that the initiative will lead to an agreement with Twenty-seven
Defense Ministers of the Twenty-seven will discuss in an informal meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, the creation of a European training mission for the soldiers of the Ukrainian Army, who have been fighting the Russian invasion since February.
Within the framework of European support for kyiv in the face of Moscow’s aggression, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, will raise the option of a new and “powerful” mission aimed at training Ukrainian forces. Although many details remain to be defined, such as establishing the base of operations, the idea is to combine the efforts that the EU countries already make separately to provide military training to Ukrainian soldiers.
In this sense, European diplomatic sources see “high probabilities” that the initiative will lead to an agreement with Twenty-seven. “There is a large majority of member states that support the idea,” they told Europa Press.
On the part of Spain, the Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, has been receptive, indicating that the Executive is “totally open to providing from the outset” all the necessary support so that Ukraine can defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Review of the “investment” gap of the different countries
Likewise, the Ministers of Defense will review the analysis of the EU’s defense investment gap and analyze the document presented in mid-May, which describes the current problems and the way forward in terms of the development of military capabilities in Europe.
For Wednesday, when the informal meeting of foreign ministers will continue, the possible limitation of the visa policy for Russian citizens will be on the table, a point of particular interest to the Baltic countries, Poland or the Czech Republic, host and which holds the six-monthly presidency of the EU.
Both the European Commission and the High Representative have cooled the possibility of a total ban on the entry of Russians into Europe, although Finland and other Baltic countries have put in place measures to restrict and reduce the number of visas they issue.
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