UK considers sending troops to Ukraine to train soldiers

Military chiefs are evaluating the possibility of sending British troops to Ukraine to train soldiers and enhance Kyiv’s recruitment efforts amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.

Sources from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed to The Independent that discussions are ongoing regarding the deployment of troops to support Ukraine. Currently, a small number of British medical personnel are already in Ukraine, providing training and mentoring to the country's armed forces, News.Az reports.

Under plans being discussed, small groups of military trainers would travel to secluded locations in the west of the country to provide intensive training to new recruits before they are deployed to the front line in the east.

Two sources told The Times the plans would solve some of the logistical issues that come with sending Ukrainian troops to UK bases for training and to save money.

The plans emerged as Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited 10 Downing Street for talks with Sir Keir Starmer amid a European tour to drum up further support for Ukraine’s campaign against Russia.

The Ukrainian president and the prime minister embraced outside No. 10 before a series of talks also involving NATO’s new secretary-general Mark Rutte.

Britain has trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in the UK under Operation Interflex, but Defense Secretary John Healey said last month that the “biggest constraint” to the scheme is Ukraine sending the personnel over to be trained.

One source told The Times doing the training in Ukraine would be “cheaper for us and better for them”, adding that “we could do it quicker out there and it would be very far away from the front line, in secluded locations, so the risk would be much lower”.

News.Az