EU to discuss sending military instructors to Ukraine, officially for the first time

The Ukrainian authorities called on the EU to send instructors to Ukraine in a letter to the EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell on May 31.

According to Welt, EU foreign and defense ministers will discuss the matter for the first time in the middle of next week. This topic will arise on August 27 in the EU's Political and Security Committee (PSC).

France, the Baltic states, Denmark, and Sweden are in favor of sending military instructors to Ukraine, while Austria, Hungary, Germany, Malta, and Slovenia are against it, fearing an escalation of the conflict.

In mid-November, the mandate of the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM UKR), which has so far been conducted exclusively in the EU, primarily in Germany and Poland, is due to be extended for two years. If the decision is positive, the mandate may be expanded to include training on the territory of Ukraine in the future.

The first informal debate on this topic has already taken place in Brussels in July.

The basis for next week's discussions will be a confidential document of the European External Action Service. It is entitled “Strategic Review of the EU Training Mission in Ukraine”. The document says that as a result of the May mobilization, Ukraine expects up to 150,000 recruits, and will create ten new infantry brigades.

Background

In early 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron said that he did not rule out the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine. Later, Ukraine said that France was ready to send military instructors to Ukraine to train the Armed Forces.

After that, discussions began in Europe about the possible training of Ukrainian troops on their territory. Some EU and NATO countries fear that this could cause an escalation and that Russia would target foreign trainers.