EU military training mission for Ukraine to be extended for two years – EU High Representative Borrell

The foreign ministers of EU member states discussed the extension of the European Union Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM), which provides training for Ukrainian military forces on Monday, 14 October.

Source: European Pravda, citing Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, at a press conference following the meeting

Details: Borell stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are currently "under great pressure along the entire front line", which has expanded since the beginning of the summer.

Quote: "We must provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with more capabilities and strengthen our training mission. We will extend the EUMAM mandate for the next two years," he announced, expressing hope for consensus on this decision in the Council of the European Union.

Details: Borrell also addressed the issue of frozen funds from the European Peace Facility, which are used to reimburse member states for military aid provided to Ukraine. 

He noted that "we are close" to unblocking these funds but could not announce a final decision. He promised to visit Ukraine once the necessary decision is made, which will occur before the end of his mandate.

Background:

• The EUMAM mission was established in October 2022 to assist in training Ukrainian military personnel. Training is primarily conducted in Poland and Germany. 
• Borrell had previously stated that the EU did not support conducting EUMAM activities on Ukrainian territory but agreed to carry out the training as close to Ukraine’s borders as possible to increase its effectiveness.

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