Brussels, April 10 (LaPresse) – "Advancing the discussion on what more the EU training mission can do is one of the topics we will discuss today. I mean, should we expand the mandate? Should we include different things? Should we also discuss where this training is conducted? So far, we have managed to maintain the mandate and update the mission in response to the challenges Ukraine is facing." This was stated by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, upon arriving at the Ukraine Coalition meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels. "We need to understand what works and what doesn’t. And when it comes to a reassurance force, we also need to know what it’s really about. Is it deterrence? Is it monitoring? Is it peacekeeping? And then, what is our goal? And this is closely tied to whether peace is achieved or not. And so far, we do not have peace to keep," she emphasized. "The European Union is the main provider of training. We have the training mission, where we have already trained over 73,000 Ukrainian soldiers. We also have the civilian mission. We need to understand what more the mission could do, and then we are also the largest supporter of the Ukrainian defense industry," she explained. Will the U.S. be part of the reassurance force? "The term 'peacekeeping mission' is very different from 'reassurance mission.' So it really depends on the mission's objective. And it also depends a lot on the objectives and mission, how many resources are required," Kallas replied. "I think it is very important to have the United States on board. But then, it must also be clear what kind of mission and what we ask the United States to do. And that’s what we will be discussing."
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