Estonia says EU still debating military instructor deployment to Ukraine

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said there is no current consensus within the EU on deploying military instructors to Ukraine.

"Well, we do not have the consensus here yet, of course, we have to continue. We have to find a consensus here because it is not, you know, a one-country mission. It has to be a consensus," Pevkur said upon arriving at a meeting of top EU military officials in Brussels, News.Az reports citing foreign media.

According to the top Estonian military official, EU countries also need to understand at what level Ukrainian troops will be trained. In this context, he mentioned the training of large battlegroups and smaller specialized groups, such as minesweepers. Due to this, Pevkur proposed to extend the scope of the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine). He noted that it is "quite safe" to train smaller groups on Ukrainian territory.

The EUMAM Ukraine mission involves 24 EU countries and was launched by the EU on October 17, 2022. Its mandate expires in October, but Brussels intends to extend it.

News.Az