NATO will create a training center to improve the readiness of Ukrainian troops

NATO will launch a defense training, analysis and education center for Ukrainian troops.

The new project, which will complement the EU training mission and the programs that already have allies such as Spain, seeks to help Kiev not only in the military preparation of its soldiers and military personnel, but also to train them in strategy and management. of the defense administration, according to allied sources.

The objective is to raise the level of support for the country invaded by Russia two years ago and help assimilate its forces to the standards of the Alliance, which it aspires to one day join.

Members of the military alliance finalize the details of the program.

Until now, the Alliance had avoided taking steps that Russia could interpret as a threat.

For this reason, it is the members (bilaterally or in groups) who have contributed military material and training to Ukraine.

The new center represents a change of philosophy in this sense and a new element of the new relationship between NATO and kyiv.

On the other hand, NATO allies have increased their defense spending to record levels this year, as the organization announced this Wednesday.

The 31 allies of the military organization – of which Spain has been a part since 1982 – are debating these days how the new center will be financed (whether it will go within NATO's common accounts or as a budget fund) and what type of trainers to place;

They could be instructors based at the new base or personnel sent by Alliance members for shorter periods, say diplomatic sources familiar with internal conversations.

The institution's defense ministers, who meet this Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels, will outline the details of the project, which will likely receive final approval at the Washington summit in July.

That will be a crucial event that will commemorate the 75 years of the Alliance and which the new Secretary General of NATO may arrive upon agreement, who will replace the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, who has served 10 years in office through extended mandates.

At the moment, the only candidate on the table is the acting Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, who has broad support.

Training by country

Several allied countries already have military training programs for Ukrainian soldiers.

In Spain, training is focused mainly on Toledo, which provides for rotational training of some 400 Ukrainian soldiers every two months, according to data from the Spanish Ministry of Defense.

Also the United Kingdom (one of the most active), Germany and Poland launched special preparation projects months after the invasion.

In addition, Denmark, with the support of Norway and the Netherlands, is centralizing pilot training for the F-16 military fighters.

According to the design being finalized by NATO, the new specialized center would provide broader training than what the allies now offer.

The military organization already has a study program for civilians working in Ukraine's defense and security institutions.

In July, at the summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, the Alliance said it would invite Ukraine to join – without a specific date – “when conditions allow.”

But kyiv, at war, is not ready to join NATO, as Secretary General Stoltenberg recalled.

And not only because while the conflict lasts it is not in a position to “contribute to the security” of the Alliance—it would drag the allies into the conflict due to the mutual commitment to defense—, as stated in article 10 of the Washington treaty, but also because its armed forces and defense institutions do not meet NATO requirements.

The new training program will “assist” Ukraine in the transition it must make toward full interoperability with the organization, including its progress from Soviet-era doctrines, standards and training to those of the Alliance.

Jens Stoltenberg, at NATO headquarters in Brussels this Wednesday.YVES HERMAN (REUTERS)

The idea of ​​the center under the NATO umbrella – for which Poland has offered to serve as a base – represents a new step in support for Ukraine.

This occurs at a very difficult time for the invaded country, with the war launched by the Kremlin stalled and when the Alliance debates what role it will play in developing more support for Kiev, while observing with great concern the possibility of Donald Trump's return to the White House.

It is a discussion in which the Alliance considers, for example, taking control of the coordination of the so-called Ramstein group to support Ukraine, within which some allies and non-member countries provide military material to the invaded State, and which now commands States. Joined.

Record defense spending

Trump's broadsides against NATO – of which he has always been highly critical – and his suggestions over the weekend that he would not defend European allies that spend little on defense from Russia have deeply disturbed the Alliance.

After these criticisms, Stoltenberg assured this Wednesday that he hopes that this year 18 of the 31 allies will reach 2% of their GDP in defense spending, which marks the so-called Wales commitment of 2014. That year, only three countries reached that level. level.

Since Russia launched war against Ukraine in 2022, spending has risen across the board.

In 2024, NATO allies in Europe will invest a combined total of $380 billion on defense, the Alliance's Secretary General has said.

Before the meeting with the defense ministers, Stoltenberg noted that NATO is strong with the United States within it, but that belonging to the Alliance is also very important for Washington's security.

In addition, he again criticized Trump's words.

“Any suggestion that we will not defend each other, that we will not protect each other, undermines the safety of all of us and increases the risks,” he launched.

“We must leave no room for miscalculations or misunderstandings in Moscow about our readiness and our commitment, our determination to protect our allies.

And the reason for doing so is not to provoke a conflict, but to prevent it, as NATO has successfully done for 75 years,” he concluded.

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