BRUSSELS, June 28. /TASS/. The European servicemen will not take part in ‘frontline’ combat operations in Ukraine, even if they come to the country to train Ukrainian servicemen, Chief of Defence of the Belgian Armed Forces Michel Hofman said.
"Let's face it, we are not talking about going to the front to fight," he said in an interview with Le Soir newspaper, answering the question whether it is really more effective to train Ukrainian servicemen on the territory of their country. According to Hofman, the problem with training outside Ukraine is that the movements are "tiring" for Ukrainian servicemen. The army chief pointed out that European countries take into account the request of the Ukrainian military authorities to train Ukrainians on their territory, but "any decision of the Defense Ministry will depend on the type of training, the place where it will be held and, above all, the risks."
Hofman also pointed out that "in any case, this will be a political decision."
Earlier it was reported that in the future the United States may consider conducting training of the Ukrainian military on the territory of Ukraine. According to the text of the bilateral agreement on security guarantees, Washington and Kiev plan to hold consultations on possible training and exercise programs in Ukraine "if and when security conditions allow." The agreement stated that the US "intends" to create conditions for the transfer of training to Ukraine.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the appearance of foreign military contingents in Ukraine would have extremely negative, even irreparable, consequences.