Brussels, 1 February 2023 (dpa/MIA) - European Union countries are to train another 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers, bringing the total to 30,000, EU sources said on Wednesday.

The ongoing training mission was first launched in November and aims to provide individual, collective and specialized training to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, according to a press release.

The mission is to help the Ukrainian army to defend its territory and protect the civilian population and was set up in response to Ukraine's request for support following Russia's invasion.

The plans to raise the target of the training mission are expected to be announced officially during a visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel to Ukraine later this week.

Under the mandate of the mission, Ukrainian soldiers are to be trained in Poland, Germany and other EU countries.

The German Bundeswehr is to offer, among other things, combat training and tactical exercises for soldiers of different ranks.

Additionally Germany is to provide training for Ukrainian military instructors, medical training and training on different weapon systems in close cooperation with the defence industry.

According to original plans, Germany wanted to train a brigade of up to 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers in the first few months.

The final number was also to depend on how many soldiers the Ukrainian Defence Ministry could send abroad for training in light of the ongoing war against Russia.

According to EU sources, the German government also promised to provide staff to fill 80 posts in the mission and take over the multinational command for specialized training. The EU has already appointed three-star General Andreas Marlow as commander.