Brussels just put a European Union military presence on Ukrainian soil through November 15, 2028. Until now, the training camps were located outside of the country, not inside Ukraine. But on November 9, Brussels took a step further than ever before – and that step could have very serious consequences. The Council of the European Union approved an official EU military presence on the territory of a country at war.
The Council of the European Union on November 9 extended the mandate of the European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine, EUMAM, for two years until 15 November 2028 with a budget of almost 300 million euros. The same meeting also established a military presence on Ukrainian soil with the purpose of the EU military to directly and effectively coordinate with the respective Ukrainian military authorities. This will be the first time that the EU will have a military presence on Ukrainian soil as the current EUMAM training is conducted outside of Ukraine, ZeroHedge reports.
That is the boots-on-the-ground step Europe has been circling for years. As noted above, the plan of Europe is simple and European leaders make no secret of it. Foreign Minister Lavrov stated in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday that as soon as a ceasefire is reached, they intend to begin to move in the stabilization forces of Europe into territory controlled by the government in Kiev.
The timing is crucial. The Russian and Ukrainian parties are holding talks with US officials in Abu Dhabi on Nov 10-11. These are the first three-way talks since February. Donald Trump has said a deal is close after nearly five years of full-scale war. And it is just at this time that the EU has decided to create a formal military presence on the territory controlled by Kiev and to finance it through 2028.
This is according to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in a conversation with Politico, after he, along with Finnish President Alexander Stubb had held a 90-minute call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 27. Denmark and Latvia had wanted to keep Putin isolated, Støre now tells the newspaper that he has seen no sign of openness from Putin, and therefore the only voice that reaches Moscow is that of Washington. In the informal EU-summit that is taking place in Dublin this week, the issue will be discussed as to who shall be Europe’s voice in negotiations with the Russian President.
