EU General: European Military Trainers Should Be Part of Ukraine’s Security Guarantees

General Seán Clancy, chairman of the EU Military Committee, said that European military instructors may remain in Ukraine after the war ends to strengthen the Ukrainian armed forces and provide security guarantees.

The Gaze reports on it, referring to Reuters.

Seán Clancy stressed that strong Ukrainian forces would be a guarantee of security not only for Ukraine but also for Europe.

According to him, it would be optimal to transfer part of the EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM Ukraine) directly to the country after the war, as the mission has already trained more than 80,000 soldiers outside Ukraine.

Chairman of the EU Military Committee also stressed that the US will remain an important partner in European security, even as the EU gradually prepares for self-defense by 2030. He added that the size of any EU presence in Ukraine will depend on Kyiv's needs and the type of training required, and the decision will require the support of all 27 EU member states.

European leaders, including EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, have already expressed broad support for such a move, but the final decision may depend on the terms of a ceasefire or peace agreement.

“I welcome that there is broad support today to expand our EU military mission mandate to provide training and advice inside Ukraine after any truce,” said Kallas after meeting with EU defense ministers on August 29. “We must be ready to do more. This could include placing EU trainers in Ukrainian military academies and institutions.”

The EU has already considered deploying military instructors directly to Ukraine to accelerate the training of Ukrainian soldiers and conduct realistic training using modern weapon systems, including drones and electronic warfare.

The EUMAM mission, launched at the end of 2022, has successfully trained fifteen Ukrainian brigades in 18 EU countries, offering 1,750 training modules with a budget of €360 million.

Kyiv wants to hold some of the training directly in Ukraine for realistic training with modern systems, but existing training centers are not fully functional due to a lack of infrastructure and trainers.

The deployment of EUMAM in Ukraine is only possible if there is a ceasefire and coordination with the US, and the EU also plans to strengthen its civilian support for the country, particularly in the areas of border security, cyber defense, and the reintegration of veterans.

As The Gaze reported earlier, in November 2024, the Council of the European Union extended the mandate of the European Union Military Assistance Mission Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) for the next two years and allocated €409 million for its support.