European Union leaders are trying to send the first strong signal of support to Ukraine after the US presidential elections. They do so in the context of the European Summit of Heads of Government of the European Union taking place in Budapest on 8 November, announcing the extension of the mandate of the European Union Military Assistance Mission in Support of Ukraine (Eumam Ukraine) for another two years.
The mission will therefore continue until 15 November 2026, with a budget of almost 409 million euros. With the election of Donald Trump to the White House, Kiev fears a reduction or even interruption of political and military support for Ukraine in the war against Russia. With this decision, the EU tries to “reassure” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the continuity in the aid that the 27 member states intend to provide to the Ukrainian army.
What is the Eumam Ukraine mission and what is it for?
Eumam Ukraine provides individual, collective and specialized training to Ukrainian troops on the territory of the European Union. It also deals with the coordination and synchronization of the activities of the Member States providing the training. The latter is also supported by the supply of equipment for lethal and non-lethal purposes to the Ukrainian army. The resources to finance the mission come from the European Peace Fund. On 17 October 2022, the Council of the EU adopted the decision establishing Eumam Ukraine, following the invasion by Russia.
The initial planned duration was two years. The news of the renewal of the mission has arrived from Budapest, where the informal summit of EU heads of government is underway. The strategic objective of Eumam is to contribute to strengthening the military capacity of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF), to regenerate and effectively conduct operations, “in order to enable Ukraine to defend its territorial integrity within the its internationally recognized borders”, specifies the Council in a note.
Eumam will train 75 thousand Ukrainian soldiers
So far the mission has trained 63 thousand Ukrainian soldiers, which is equivalent to ten brigades. Thanks to this renewal, another 15 thousand UAF soldiers will be trained in the coming months. The final goal is to reach 75 thousand trained men by the end of winter 2024/2025.
“Eumam Ukraine’s future training objectives will be continuously adapted in terms of the number of troops to be trained and skills, based on the combat needs expressed by Ukraine and in coordination with partners,” the Council said in a statement. The mission financed by the bloc of 27 EU member states will cooperate with NATO, in particular in the field of security assistance and training for Ukraine, managed by the Atlantic Alliance.
The disagreement between Trump and Zelensky
In Budapest, together with European leaders, including Giorgia Meloni, Emmanuel Macron and house guest Viktor Orban, there is also Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On November 7, the leader belittled US President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to quickly reach a peace deal between Kiev and Moscow, arguing that this would amount to a “loss” for Ukraine. “I think President Trump really wants a quick decision” to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, Zelensky told reporters in the Hungarian capital.
“He wants it. It doesn’t mean it’s going to happen this way.” In 2023, Trump said he would seek a quick deal to end the war, saying, “I will do it in 24 hours” after separate meetings with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky. The statement was repeated several times during the electoral campaign.
