The European Union announced on 10 November that it will establish an official military presence in Ukraine as part of expanding its EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM) Ukraine, according to a Council decision in Brussels. The move follows a strategic review of the mission and an extension of its mandate until 15 November 2028 with a €300 million budget, the Council’s statement said.
Training Impact
EU training forces have, by the Council’s own reporting, trained more than 100,000 soldiers for the Ukrainian army since the conflict began in 2022. The Council added that the mission, launched in October 2022, is a "key tool for the EU’s military support to Ukraine, with its core objective of contributing to enhancing the military capacity of Ukraine’s Armed Forces," as TASS reported.
"EUMAM Ukraine is a key tool for the EU’s military support to Ukraine, with its core objective of contributing to enhancing the military capacity of Ukraine’s Armed Forces."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova has criticized the expansion, saying the EU is "recklessly, utterly senselessly, and thoughtlessly, yet actively, getting prepared for a war with Russia" and is "driving itself further and further into the trap of the insane, irrational demands of the voracious 'Kiev food digger.'"
"The European Union is 'recklessly, utterly senselessly, and thoughtlessly, yet actively, getting prepared for a war with Russia' and is driving itself further and further into the trap of the insane, irrational demands of the voracious 'Kiev food digger.'"
According to a Facebook post by the Council of the European Union, to date 100 000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained by the EU and its member states, illustrating the size of the mission’s training effort. This development marks the first time the EU has a formal military presence in Ukraine, a fact underscored by the Council’s announcement.
