EU Considers Creating Military Mission in Ukraine

Against the background of escalating hostilities in Donbas, provoked by the activity of Russia’s hybrid troops, the European Union is considering the possibility of creating a European military training mission in Ukraine.

This was reported by the German newspaper Die Welt with reference to an internal document of the European External Action Service (EEAS).

The document says that the EU is considering setting up a mission called the EU Military Advisory and Training Mission Ukraine (EUATM). Its work will focus on training the Ukrainian military.

The creation of such a mission will be an expression of solidarity with Ukraine, taking into account Russia’s military activity near Ukraine’s borders and in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

According to German journalists, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia insist on the establishment of a military mission. In addition, this position is supported by Sweden and Finland.

The newspaper also reports that in late July, Ukraine’s foreign and defence ministers wrote a confidential letter to the EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, requesting a military training mission from the EU. Kyiv pointed out that the Kremlin had temporarily gathered more than 300,000 troops on the border with Ukraine in April. In addition, military training grounds were created and heavy military equipment was built up.

In addition to the option of creating a military mission, the EU is considering other ways to strengthen the military potential of the Ukrainian army. Among them is the expansion of the EU advisory mission on reforming Ukraine’s civil security sector.

Bohdan Marusyak