EU mulls military training for Ukrainian forces: Borrell
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At a press conference in Santander, northern Spain, Borrell says the proposal will be discussed next week at a two-day meeting of EU defense ministers in Prague.
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EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell
EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the European Union will discuss launching a major training operation for Ukrainian forces in neighboring countries.
At a press conference in Santander, northern Spain, Borrell added that the proposal will be discussed next week at a two-day meeting of EU defense ministers in Prague, which begins on Monday.
"I hope it will be approved," he said.
"Of course, it would be a big mission, I think it would be a big mission," he stressed, adding that "any mission has to be up to the level of the conflict."
"It seems reasonable that a war that is lasting and looks set to last requires an effort not only in terms of supplies of material," Borrell said.
"This is what is being discussed among the member states and will be discussed politically next week," he added.
Read more: Borrell: EU needs to refill stocks drained by supplies to Ukraine
Former Spanish Foreign Minister Borrell stated that the details of the military training operation would need to be agreed upon by all EU member states.
He said "several" nations already provide military training to Ukrainian forces under bilateral agreements.
Since July, Britain, for example, has provided training to Ukrainian forces at various locations across the country.
The program allegedly aims to train up to 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers in weapons handling, battlefield first aid, and patrol tactics in the United Kingdom.
The EU regularly deploys "training missions with the armies with which we cooperate," as per Borell.
"We have been doing it in Mali until recently we have now started in Mozambique and we have done it in Niger, Chad, in many countries," he said.
It is worth noting that Borrell was in Santander to take part in a conference on "the birth of geopolitical Europe" organized by a local university.
Read more: UK military head: “Unlawful” for Britons to fight in Ukraine
