Kremlin Sets Another New Condition: No More Western-Trained Ukrainian Soldiers

Russia wants Ukraine to stop training its soldiers in the West as a key condition for ending the war, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik.

“The participation or complicity of other countries [in the military conflict] is a key point that must be stopped in any form – including arms supplies and the training of Ukrainian militants,” Miroshnik told Russian outlet Izvestia.

“All of this is direct complicity in the conflict. A demonstration of the desire to resolve it is the termination of these programs,” he added.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, more than 200,000 Ukrainian troops have undergone training abroad, according to international sources.

Germany is one of the top countries in terms of Ukrainian troops trained, while over 30 nations worldwide have supported Ukraine’s training needs, according to an RFI report released last May.

Training programs include bilateral initiatives such as US-led SAG-U missions in Germany, where tens of thousands of soldiers have been trained.

Cambodia has supported demining training, while F-16 pilots and technicians are being trained in the US, Romania, Denmark, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Poland.

In the UK, the Operation Interflex program – launched in June 2022 – has trained tens of thousands of troops at six major training grounds with a total area of ​​18,410 hectares. Instructors from Australia, Denmark, Canada, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, Finland, and Sweden have also participated.

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Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Russia is losing more than economic and human resources in this war. It is also losing sight of victory and running out of ideas about how to make Ukraine suffer.

Meanwhile, the EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM) to Ukraine has become the largest European training supplier. Launched in October 2023, it aims to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to defend itself. The mission’s initial €60 million budget was increased to €255 million in 2023 to support equipment, ammunition, and training needs.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously said the EU’s role in training Ukrainian troops makes it a “party to the conflict,” and warned of consequences.

“The training of the AFU abroad is now well-established and coordinated,” RFI reported. “Specialists from dozens of fields are being trained at more than 40 training grounds across Europe – from assault infantry to fighter pilots.”

Previously, Russia has demanded that Ukraine hand over all Western-supplied weapons as part of a proposed ceasefire, Moscow’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an interview with Izvestia.

“All these weapons must be destroyed,” Grushko said. “There are international procedures for this – they should be reduced, disposed of, and placed under control.”

Grushko argued that Western arms pose a long-term threat, comparing them to US Stinger missiles sent to Afghan fighters in the 1980s that later appeared on global black markets.

Russia’s demands, outlined in a government memorandum, include halting foreign military aid, downsizing Ukraine’s Armed Forces, and disbanding what the Kremlin calls “nationalist formations.”

Moscow also insists Ukraine recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its claims over parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, and withdraw from those areas. Ukraine must also renounce military alliances, ban foreign troops and bases, and confirm non-nuclear status, Russia says.

Additional conditions include lifting all sanctions against Russia and granting Russian official language status in Ukraine.