German and Spanish defense ministers on Tuesday announced plans to train thousands of Ukrainian soldiers under a European Union (EU) program to support Kiev’s response to Russia. The EU launched the largest military training mission in its history, aimed at educating and training 15,000 Ukrainian troops in various member states. “The mission will be operational within three months. This is a record time for Europeans.European diplomatic chief Josep Borrell underlined.

Germany plans to train 5,000 soldiers “Broad Skills”German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced. His Spanish counterpart, Margarita Robles, said her country trains 400 Ukrainian soldiers every two months, or 2,400 a year, in Toledo. In October, France announced that it would train 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers on its territory.

The main mission center will be located in Poland and a secondary headquarters in Germany. The mission is planned for an initial period of two years and is expected to cost approximately €60 million per year. It will be funded by the European Peace Facility (EFF), and European ministers will review its finances on Tuesday. Mr Borrell recalled that “3.1 of its 5.7 billion endowment for seven years was mobilized to supply arms to Kyiv”. The fund is used to pay back money for weapons taken from member states’ stocks and supplied to Ukraine.

Between EPF funding and bilateral arms supplies, EU military support to Ukraine is estimated at €8 billion, Josep Borrell stressed. This amount is equal to 45 percent of the aid provided by the United States. European forces responsible for conducting an intervention to evacuate European citizens caught in a conflict need to engage in combat missions. She should be “To be fully operational by 2023”Joseph Borrell declared.