EU to Send Military Training Mission to Ukraine

After the European Union (EU) requested a military ally at its borders with Russia, it is considering sending a Ukrainian military training mission, Germany reported on Sunday.

An EU working document, viewed by the World on Sunday, mentions a Ukrainian Military Counseling and Training Mission from the EU.

The internal document justifies the transfer of Russian 'continuing military activity' military personnel to Ukraine. In a letter addressed to European Union foreign minister Josep Borrell, Ukrainian Foreign Ministers reportedly requested the training programme in July.

Russia denied Ukraine and its western allies' claim that it was springtime to invade Ukraine by accumulating troops on its western borders. In April, a Russian presidential spokesperson said Russian troops can move freely within their borders.

Ukraine said Friday it wants Germany and the United States to impose sanctions on Russia’s gas export monopoly Gazprom over its controversial deal with Hungary and Kiev’s loss of transit capacities.

Kiev slammed as “political” this week’s contract that will supply 4.5 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas to Hungary every year until 2036 through non-Ukrainian transit routes.

“Gazprom stopped gas transit through Ukraine to Hungary,” Yuri Vitrenko, the CEO of Ukraine’s pipeline operator Naftogaz, wrote on Facebook.

Vitrenko accused Gazprom of using gas exports as a “weapon” and said the Hungary deal “clearly demonstrates” its intent after Russia launches another pipeline that bypasses Ukraine to deliver gas to Germany, Nord Stream 2.

“A joint statement from the United States and Germany indicates that in case of the Kremlin using gas as a weapon, there should be an appropriate reaction,” he said, referring to a U.S.-German deal in July that would threaten Russia with sanctions and extend gas transit through Ukraine.

“We are now waiting for sanctions imposed on a 100% subsidiary of Gazprom, the Nord Stream 2 operator,” the Naftogaz CEO said.