Ukraine, EU to cooperate on military training & cyberthreats amid Russian aggression

Despite the lingering tensions with Russia, the European Union [EU] announced on 11 October that it was considering providing a military training mission to Ukraine, and training against the cyberthreats, officials said Monday according to Associated Press.  EU plans to act on the request received by Ukraine for help with “professional military education.” The latter dispatched a fact-finding mission to the country last month, and now plans to hold the discussion about providing Moscow’s neighbour with Armed forces training at a summit planned for Tuesday in Kyiv, the officials told Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

An unnamed EU official told the agency that the EU’s political and security committee, responsible for the common foreign and security policy, will go back to the issue in November and will take a final decision. While the EU has imposed economic sanctions against Russia, it will decide how the bloc can bolster cooperation with Ukraine.

The EU harshly reacts to Moscow's annexation of Crimea, which it calls the "deliberate destabilisation of Ukraine". On Monday, the bloc adopted new sanctions on eight more Russian individuals, including judges, prosecutors, and security officers as a retaliatory move against Russia's belligerence on Ukraine. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier at a conference appealed for strengthening ties with his country. The leader called for help from NATO and the EU as Russia lodged protests against the former Soviet republic from getting NATO membership.

“Those individuals have taken biased decisions in politically-motivated cases, and prosecuted or oppressed opponents of the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol,” the EU council said, according to Associated Press. It added that Russian travel bans and asset freezes now target close to 185 people and 48 entities.

'Pointless' to involve in talks with Ukraine, says Russia

Russia had earlier yesterday said that it is “pointless” to be involved in talks with Ukraine since Kyiv’s administration is completely dependent on foreign management. The Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said in an article published by the Russian Kommersant newspaper that “there is no trust” in partners such as Ukraine in international relations who compete in “constant nonsense.” Medvedev goes on to say that Moscow sees no point in talks with Kyiv. "There is no trust, and cannot be any, in such 'partners' in international relations, who compete in constant nonsense. This means that negotiations with them are absolutely pointless," Medvedev said. The Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council told the paper that Ukraine is headed by people who simply want profit and nobody in Kyiv is ready to sacrifice themselves for the nation. 

“The Ukrainian leaders of the current generation are absolutely dependent people. Much has already been said and written about this, including in the well-known article by [Russian President] Vladimir Putin. The country is under direct foreign control," Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Medvedev said.