EU to ramp up military training of Ukrainian troops, supply more weapons to Kiev

The European Union plans to ramp up its military support of Ukraine by launching what it describes as a “mission” to train 15,000 Ukrainian troops as well as providing 500 million euros in more advanced weaponry.

Foreign ministers from the EU’s 27 member states are expected to approve the military aid packages at a meeting on Monday in Luxembourg with diplomats stating that the “mission” should become operational next month.

"We've never done a training mission of that scope," a European diplomat said about the scheme, as quoted in an AFP report. "It's a big first for the EU."

The final details of the military training are still being hammered out, according to the report, but a bloc official said the plan is initially designed to provide basic training to 12,000 soldiers and specialized instruction to 2,800 others.

Neighboring Poland is due to serve as the main hub for training the Ukrainian forces, with one EU diplomat quoted as saying that it is the "way out for the Ukrainians and way back in."

"Everyone in the EU will do what they can do in correspondence to the needs of Ukrainians," the diplomat noted, adding that a budget of nearly 60 million euros per year has been foreseen.

The exact amount of the military aid is expected to be agreed upon on Monday, along with a new tranche of 500 million euros ($486 million) in EU central funding to help cover the costs of weapons shipped to Ukraine.

Hungary’s PM warns EU economy will dive over anti-Moscow bans

Hungary

The new package of funds will take the overall contribution for weapons from the EU's central coffers to 3 billion euros. Member states have also spent more money from their own budgets.

"The budget for seven years has been spent in seven months, so come on, we really mean business," an EU official underlined, as quoted in the report.

Germany is also set to be a key staging area for military training, the report noted, adding that other programs currently offered by individual member states would continue and could be incorporated in the EU military aid later.

Several EU nations -- including Germany and France -- are already training Ukrainians to use the modern artillery systems, missile launchers and air defense systems they are delivering to Kiev.

The bloc, however, has lagged behind in providing large-scale military training to boost Kiev’s fighting abilities against Russian forces.

The US, Canada and Britain have already been providing military training for thousands of Ukrainian troops, with London projecting to train 10,000 within this year and planning to more than double that next year amid a massive US-led military campaign against Russia.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is due to address his EU counterparts by video link and is expected to reiterate Kiev’s pleas for more armaments, increased financial aid and yet additional sanctions against Moscow.

The EU’s military aid package comes a day after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin signaled that Washington and its Western allies are having trouble keeping pace with Ukraine’s demand for advanced weaponry.

US failing to keep pace with Ukraine’s demand for advanced weaponry: American media

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin signals that the US and its Western allies are having trouble keeping pace with Ukraine’s demand for advanced weaponry.

The suggestion, reported Sunday by Fox News, reflects dwindling military supplies for Ukraine and fear in the White House of escalation that could result in a direct confrontation between the US and Russia.

Austin avoided providing a clear answer when asked during a press conference in Brussels whether the US and other nations can supply the weapons Ukraine needs while emphasizing that the desire is there to get Ukraine what it needs.

The risk of reduced US stockpiles of high-end munitions has been widely reported ever since the US began contributing military aid to Ukraine.

Now, nearly eight months since the start of Russia's military operation in the European country, experts interviewed by Fox News Digital argue the US is at or very near the end of its capacity to give to the conflict-torn country.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk