More than 62 thousand AFU servicemen trained in EU countries, by end of year this figure will increase to 75 thousand, - Umierov
Since October 2022, the European Union has trained 62,000 Ukrainian military personnel. This number is expected to increase to 75,000 by the end of the year.
This was announced on Facebook by Defense Minister Rustem Umierov following a meeting with a delegation from the EU Political and Security Committee, Censor.NET reports.
"Since October 2022, more than 62 thousand Ukrainian servicemen have been trained in the EU as part of the EUMAM military assistance mission, and by the end of the year this figure will increase to 75 thousand. I am grateful for the decision of the EU ambassadors to extend the mandate of the Mission for another two years," the Minister said.
Umierov also drew attention to the need to conduct training for military missions on the territory of Ukraine, as this would speed up the training of personnel.
In addition, the defense minister called on European countries to invest in production directly in Ukraine.
"We are ready to enter into long-term contracts and develop joint production of drones, long-range vehicles and ammunition," the minister said.
Umierov also said that Ukraine expects a new tranche of aid from the EU in the amount of 1.9 billion euros at the expense of frozen Russian assets.
"We also hope that the partners will find an opportunity to allocate 6 billion euros from the European Peace Fund to strengthen the Ukrainian army at the front," the minister said in a statement.
The Defense Minister also thanked Committee Chairwoman Delphine Pronk and EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova for their continued support, emphasizing that partnership with the EU allows for the implementation of important security initiatives that help protect Ukraine and strengthen the country's defense capabilities.
Earlier, EU Chief Diplomat Josep Borrell said that the mandate of the EU mission EUMAM, created to help train Ukrainian military personnel, would be extended for two years.
