British PM refutes plan to send troops for training in Ukraine
Rishi Sunak
UK PM Sunak denied the latest information from the newly-appointed defense minister about sending British troops for training in Ukraine, according to Reuters.
The Prime Minister on Sunday ruled out UK forces going to Ukraine and said that the recently appointed political head of the Ministry of Defence was discussing possible plans for the "long term."
Shapps had said in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph that "eventually" he would like to get Britain's long-standing training of Ukraine's troops "in the country" rather than in the UK.
And what the Defence Secretary was saying was that it might well be possible one day in the future for us to do some of that training in Ukraine, the PM said.
But that's something for the long term, not the here and now, there are no British soldiers that will be sent to fight in the current conflict. That's not what's happening. What we are doing is training Ukrainians. We're doing that here in the UK.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Shapps, who recently visited Ukraine, said that the UK would expand the training program for the Ukrainian military and could also join in protecting commercial vessels in the Black Sea from Russian attacks.
The defense minister held talks with the army leadership about bringing "more training and production" of military equipment to Ukraine. He also called on British defense companies to open factories in the state.
During his trip to Kyiv, the minister said that he discussed with President Zelensky the possibility of involving the British Navy in protecting commercial vessels from Russia in the Black Sea.
Shapps also emphasized that his country seeks ways to help Ukraine prepare for NATO membership. As part of the London-led Operation Interflex, more than 20,000 Armed Forces recruits have already been trained in the UK since the beginning of 2022.
