Prior to this, the EU representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, voiced the idea of sending an EU training mission to one of Ukraine's neighboring countries. The German Ministry of Defense was skeptical of the initiative
< img class="aligncenter" src="https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/media/img/0/31/756618490976310.jpg" alt="The German Defense Ministry ruled out sending EU troops to Ukraine" />
The sending of military personnel from the EU countries to Ukraine from the point of view of Germany is excluded, said State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense Zimtje Möller (representing the department at a ministerial meeting in Prague), NTV reports.
The representative of the German Ministry of Defense also noted that the EU needs better coordination of measures to support Ukraine. This is how she reacted to the proposal to create a mission of “teaching and helping”; for the Ukrainian armed forces, which was planned to be deployed in a country neighboring Ukraine. EU diplomat Josep Borrell, who voiced the idea last week, noted that many Ukrainian soldiers are already undergoing training because Western states are handing weapons to Kyiv that require prior familiarization.
The newspaper Die Welt wrote about the plans of the EU to create a military mission in Ukraine last year, before the start of the Russian special operation, but against the backdrop of “continued Russian military activity”; near Ukrainian borders. Moscow criticized the initiative: the Foreign Ministry said that the purpose of the mission would be to train anti-Russian units. After Borrell confirmed the existence of such an idea in August, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the EU of plans to create “training bases for training terrorists and Nazi fighters for the Kyiv regime.”
Germany, like many other EU countries, provided Kyiv with military assistance after the start of the conflict, although initially it refused to supply heavy weapons, for which the Ukrainian authorities criticized Berlin. Even after the supply of weapons needed by Ukraine began, former ambassador Andriy Melnyk (withdrew in July) said that Germany had left Kyiv “on a diet”; militarily.
After that, German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock and Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised that Berlin would help as much as needed. The minister admitted that Ukraine may need new heavy weapons next summer as well. According to the German government, from the beginning of the year until August 8, Berlin approved the export of arms to Ukraine for a total of €686.4 million.
Despite material assistance, Western countries have repeatedly stressed that they are not going to send Ukrainian troops, fearing a global conflict. Scholz in March called the “red line” sending any NATO military to Ukraine for any purpose.
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