The German Defense Minister announces Germany’s intention to move forward with training Ukrainian soldiers
The German government intends to proceed with the training of Ukrainian soldiers.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at the force training field in the city of Klits in eastern Germany on Friday that Berlin is interested in extending the mandate for the training mission beyond next November.
The city of Klits, located on the border between the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg, has a training site for Ukrainian soldiers.
During the visit, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said, “10,000 Ukrainian soldiers were trained last year and 10,000 will be trained this year in 2024”.
He added that Russia and the political leadership there bear responsibility for “atrocities and bloodshed,” and added, “Russia wants to rob Ukraine of its independence and freedom… Russia is seizing territory in Ukraine and violating basic principles of international law”.
The German President continued his speech, saying, “In such cases, there should be no doubt about where we stand, where our country stands, where Germany stands – alongside Ukraine… This is where we stand and where we will remain”.
Regarding the extension of the mandate, Pistorius said, “We’ll discuss this in coordination with our partners, primarily with Ukraine, and then of course with the European partners, because it’s a mission for the European Union, but yes, we have an interest in this and the need for it is unfortunately still there without a doubt even at the end of the year, we must say that”.
The minister, who belongs to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, added, “Our responsibility places us alongside Ukraine as long as this is necessary,” pointing out that the issue relates to supporting a country in Europe that is “fighting a war of survival against an imperialist aggressor, all help is important in any form, not just materials; Germany provides this assistance to a large extent,” he said.
Pistorius believed that training in particular plays a pivotal role for Ukraine, starting from training sergeants (non-commissioned officers), officers and tank crews, all the way to training on weapons systems.
