The European Union will extend the training mission of Ukrainian military personnel until 2026

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The European Union (EU) will extend the training mission for Ukrainian soldiers for another two years and is studying a potential extension until after 2026, the head of European diplomacy announced this Monday.

“We will extend the military assistance and training mission for another two years and we want to find a consensus to extend it even further, once this mandate has concluded,” said the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. at a press conference at the end of a ministerial meeting in Luxembourg.

At the same press conference, the representative of the community bloc announced that the EU “is almost there” to unblock macro-financial aid to Ukraine, a country that is facing a large-scale Russian invasion since February 2022.

But, according to Borrell, Ukraine currently has two big problems ahead, issues that were raised this Monday by the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha.

“The problem of cereal exports is returning,” said Borrell, also mentioning “the avoidance of sanctions.” which, according to the high representative, “continues to make the Russian war machine work.”

“We cannot allow [o Presidente russo, Vladimir] Putin once again threatens food security and uses winter as a weapon, attacking critical infrastructure,” said the head of European diplomacy.

Josep Borrell also called for more ambition to “fight against the evasion of sanctions” imposed by the EU to reduce Moscow’s military capabilities.

The European Union renews sanctions on Russia for another six months

“We continue to see Western components in Russian weapons when we do forensic analysis,” he warned.

The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24, 2022, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since the Second World War (1939-1945).