The European Union will debate the launch of a major training operation for Ukrainian forces in nearby nations, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said .

The proposal will be discussed next week at a meeting of EU defence ministers in Prague, Borrell told a press conference in Santander, in northern Spain.

“I hope it will be approved,” he added.

“Of course it would be a big mission, I think it would be a big mission,” he said, adding “any mission has to be up to the level of the conflict”.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, sparking the worst conflict in Europe in decades which has killed tens of thousands of civilians.

Military hardware and intelligence data from Europe and the US have allowed Ukrainian forces to slow — but not stall — Russian forces in the Donbas and along the Black Sea coast.

“It seems reasonable that a war that is lasting and looks set to last requires an effort not only in terms of supplies of material,” Borrell said.

“This is what is being discussed among the member states and will be discussed politically next week.”