Lithuania plans to train a battalion of Ukrainian troops within the framework of the European Union’s new support mission for Ukraine, Chief of Defence Valdemaras Rupšys has said.
This is reported by Lithuanian National Radio and Television.
“We will probably lead the training of one of the battalions,” he told reporters in Vilnius on Friday.
Read also: Lithuania to step up pace of training Ukrainian troops in 2023.
Led by Poland and Germany, the mission was launched in November, and around 15,000 Ukrainian troops are expected to be trained.
According to Rupšys, Lithuania plans to train the Ukrainian battalion in Germany.
Speaking in Vilnius on Friday, Robert Brieger, chairman of the EU Military Committee, said that 16 EU countries have already offered their support to train Ukrainian troops.
Earlier, Lithuania announced plans to train a total of around 1,500 Ukrainian troops in 2023. The Ukrainian battalion in question, which would consist of several hundred soldiers, falls within this figure.
However, the number of Ukrainian troops to be trained could grow. “We are very flexible and always respond quickly to requests from the Ukrainian military or political leadership, and we quickly organise necessary training for them,” Rupšys said.
Lithuania is also training Ukrainian troops in its territory as part of other initiatives. According to Rupšys, Ukrainian mine-clearing troops, engineers, mechanics, military-civilian cooperation specialists, and non-commissioned officers are being trained in Lithuania.