Defense Minister Helena Carreiras said Tuesday in Brussels that the European Union has already completed the training of 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
The mission has the contribution of Portugal, which “has participated with a maximum of 20 soldiers simultaneously who have been training in the areas of inactivation of explosive devices [e] From yesterday until the end of June, we have six soldiers in infantry training, in the health area and in basic military instruction, at the General Headquarters in Germany”, said the minister.
Helena Carreiras considers that the mission “is going well”, as planned, contributing to the total number of soldiers trained throughout the European Union.
“Some 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers have already been trained, and it is expected that 30,000 soldiers will be trained by the end of the year,” he admitted, considering that “it is a mission that is going very well.”
In the balance sheet of the Portuguese contribution presented in Brussels, the minister also reported on Portugal’s contribution in terms of military equipment, including “the latest package that includes M113 vehicles in the form of ambulances and first aid.”
As part of the European commitment to deliver, before the end of the year, one million large-calibre ammunition to Ukraine, the minister says that it was possible to obtain 25% among the stockpiles stored and that joint purchases will soon advance.
“This work is underway, it takes a little more time, but he hopes that the first contracts will be drafted by the end of June and that it will be possible for the countries to place their purchase orders in July,” he said, admitting that Portugal may reach match the European joint purchasing mechanism, but it is not foreseen at the moment.
Source: TSF
