EU defense ministers meeting in the Czech capital have agreed to begin work on the blueprints for an EU military assistance mission for Ukraine amid broader debate on added weapons and training to help Ukraine defend itself from the current Russian invasion, according to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
Borrell is chairing two days of talks in Prague among defense and foreign ministers from all 27 EU member states.
"There are many training initiatives on the way, but the needs are enormous and we need to ensure the coherence of these efforts," Borrell said after the defense ministers met.
The ministers are examining roles their countries might play in training new Ukrainian recruits on EU territory, with reports suggesting tens of thousands of casualties so far on each side and fewer experienced officers free to train new recruits.
SEE ALSO: Interview: EU Foreign Policy Chief Expects Brussels To Further Restrict Visas For Russians"I can say that all member states agree clearly on that and on launching the work necessary to define parameters for a EU military assistance mission for Ukraine," Borrell said.
He also said the EU defense chiefs had debated ways to boost weapons production as the West feeds Ukrainian military and civilian defense efforts in the war, now in its seventh month.
“We are depleting our [military] stocks," Borrell said. "We are providing so many capacities to Ukraine that we have to refill our stocks."
Some disagreements appear to remain between countries that want a more structured approach to the training, like Ireland, and those like Luxembourg and Austria that might want to preserve flexibility to help Kyiv repel Europe's biggest full-scale invasion since World War II.
Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks said his Baltic country was ready to help but that any EU-wide mission "must be practical."
Later on August 30, EU foreign ministers are expected to debate contentious proposals to impose tight visa restrictions on Russians hoping to travel to the European Union.