The European Union should deploy military trainers to Ukraine after the end of the war there to strengthen Ukrainian forces as part of Western security guarantees, the EU's top military adviser told Reuters.
General Sean Clancy, chairman of the EU's military committee, said the United States would remain important for Europe's security even as the bloc prepares to be ready to defend itself by 2030.
NATO will continue to provide "hard power" to defend Europe, but transatlantic relations will be rebalanced, with Europeans becoming more self-reliant, said Clancy, who is Irish.
The presence of EU trainers in Ukraine after the war is "optimal"
The EU's defense efforts have been prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and US President Donald Trump's demands that Europeans take more responsibility for their own security.
With no end in sight to the war in Ukraine, Western officials are drawing up post-war plans to bolster Kiev's forces and deter Russia from attacking its neighbor again.
Clancy said it would be "optimal" to move part of the EU's military assistance mission to support Ukraine to the country after the war. The mission has already trained more than 80,000 soldiers outside Ukraine. Clancy said strong Ukrainian forces would serve as a security guarantee for both Ukraine and Europe.
"Europe can provide a high level of training. Will it be part of it in Ukraine? I think that is optimal," he said.
The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaia Kalas, said in September that there was broad support from member states for such a move, but no decision had been made yet. Diplomats say it is likely to depend on the terms of a possible ceasefire or peace deal and would need the support of all 27 EU member states.
The size of the mission will depend on requirements
Clancy noted that the size of a possible EU presence in Ukraine would depend on what Kiev wants and the type of training required.
"This is something that we are prudently considering together with our colleagues in Ukraine. And their needs are changing as well," he said.
As chairman of the EU Military Committee, Clancy serves as the voice of the bloc's military chiefs in discussions on defence and security policy.
This includes providing advice on the European Commission's "Defence Readiness Roadmap", which aims to prepare Europe to "credibly deter its adversaries and respond to any aggression" by 2030.
Clancy stressed, however, that the US-European security relationship will remain important, not least because the Europeans will continue to use American weapons systems even as they seek to expand their own defense industry.
"For the Patriot missiles, for the F-35 fighter jets - all the high-quality equipment that we have already provided to the United States has decades of life left," he pointed out.