EU raises training target for Ukrainian soldiers to 75,000

EU defence ministers agreed to raise the training target for Ukrainian soldiers to 75,000 by the end of the year, the bloc's top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Friday.

EU defence ministers were meeting in Brussels to discuss the bloc's ongoing operation to train Ukrainian soldiers to defend their country against Russia's all-out invasion.

Borrell, speaking at a press conference, described the training efforts "as the most successful training mission that the European Union has ever performed."

Training is currently taking place in Germany and Poland. Borrell said the EU has now trained 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers by the end of the summer of 2024. The new training target is an increase of 15,000.

EU defence ministers also debated the mission's extension until 2026, with a decision to come.

A plan to move some of the EU training operations inside Ukraine was also discussed but Borrell said there was no agreement reached to do so.

The top EU diplomat said training was instead decided to "be as close as possible to Ukraine, but not in Ukrainian territory." A small team of "mostly military" officials will coordinate the training from Kiev, he added.

French President Emmanuel Macron, backed by Lithuania, signalled he is for training Ukrainian soldiers in Ukraine. A number of EU countries including Germany are concerned about such a move.

Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said on Friday he was in favour of the idea.

The defence ministers' meeting was an informal one, meaning no official decisions had been expected.

Also under discussion are conditions that were placed on Western weapons supplied to Ukraine preventing their use to strike targets inside Russia.

Pevkur said such restrictions on Ukraine are like fighting "only with one hand." Borrell said fears that lifting such conditions would mean entering war with Russia were "ridiculous."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba pushed hard on Thursday for the EU to speed up the deliveries of ammunition and air defence systems including US-made Patriots.

The Netherlands promised to quickly assemble a Patriot system for Ukraine, but Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans declined to give a timeline for its delivery, citing security reasons.