EU to extend mandate to train Ukrainian military – Borrell

The required consensus for the program to continue is yet to be achieved, however

The EU intends to extend its mission to train Ukraine’s military through 2026, though it has yet to secure Hungary’s consent for doing so, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has said.

The EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) was set up in 2022 with a two-year mandate, which expires in November. Rumors that it would be extended appeared in the media last week. However, such reports assumed agreement from Budapest, which does not appear to have materialized.

“Ukrainian armed forces are under big pressure,” Borrell said at a press conference in Brussels on Monday, after the meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers.

“We will extend the mandate of the EUMAM for the next two years. We hope we will find consensus to increase its mandate,” he added.

The EU is also looking for a way to unblock the European Peace Facility (EPF) fund to reimburse members who have provided military aid to Ukraine, Borrell said. The EPF has also been held up by Hungary, which opposes the bloc’s unconditional support for Kiev and prefers peace talks to further fighting.

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“We are almost there,” Borrell told reporters.

Mainly hosted by Germany and Poland, EUMAM has trained more than 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers over the past two years. It is currently commanded by Bundeswehr Colonel Niels Janeke, with 24 out of 27 members of the bloc participating.

The EU’s foreign policy service, the EEAS, recommended the extension of EUMAM back in July, according to reports in German media. The mission has reportedly also worked out plans and agendas through the end of 2026. According to information leaked to the media, Brussels prefers to continue EUMAM to the alternative of sending NATO troops to set up training facilities in Ukraine itself.

Some Ukrainian troops have questioned the quality of the training, telling journalists that the classes do not take into account the intense nature of the actual fighting against Russian forces.