Safer to train Ukrainian troops in Poland, says Polish minister

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski talks to media as he arrives to attend an informal meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs at Czernin Palace in Prague on May 31, 2024. (AFP)
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  • European Union countries have been debating whether to train troops on the ground in Ukraine, but have yet to reach a common position
  • “This would be a more effective way of helping Ukraine,” Radoslaw Sikorski told reporters

WARSAW: Poland decided it would be safer to train Ukrainian troops in Poland rather than sending its own troops to Ukraine, the Polish foreign minister said on Friday during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Prague.
European Union countries have been debating whether to train troops on the ground in Ukraine, but have yet to reach a common position.
“Poland considered the Ukrainian request regarding training, but we came to the conclusion that it would be safer and more efficient to train a Ukrainian unit composed of Ukrainians in Poland... and that this would be a more effective way of helping Ukraine,” Radoslaw Sikorski told reporters.
France could soon send military trainers to Ukraine despite the concerns of some allies and criticism by Russia, and may announce its decision next week during a visit by the Ukrainian president, Reuters reported on Thursday.
Sikorski also said that there were no restrictions attached to the use of weapons Poland supplies to Ukraine.
Speaking earlier on Friday, Sikorski said Poland is currently organizing its 45th package of aid for Ukraine.
“Poland has sent 44 packages of aid to Ukraine, we are now organizing our 45th... we think we’ve contributed in military assistance alone around 4 billion euros ($4.35 billion),” Radoslaw Sikorski told reporters at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Prague.