UK PM Johnson says Britain trained 22K Ukrainian troops, mulls further military support

On Thursday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Britain has trained 22,000 Ukrainian soldiers since 2014, given thousands of lethal armament units, and is considering taking further military cooperation steps with Kyiv.

"We have trained 22,000 Ukrainian soldiers since 2014. We have sent some anti-tank weapons, 2,000 of them, in the last two or three months. We will think about what else we might be able to provide," Johnson remarked during a joint press conference with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, Sputnik reported. 

According to a Parliamentary report filed earlier this month, British troops are providing ammunition and training to Ukrainian forces as part of Operation Orbital. In 2022, the UK provided 2.2 million pounds (Rs 22.50 crore) in non-lethal military equipment to Kyiv, as well as the first delivery of lethal armaments under the project.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry announced on January 25 that its soldiers had conducted training exercises with British military advisers on the use of recently delivered anti-tank missile systems NLAW, as per the Sputnik report. 

UK troops join NATO partners for military drills in Estonia

In the wake of escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia, UK troops have also joined NATO partners for military drills in Estonia. The troops have been sent to Estonia to train with Estonian forces in a deterrent operation against Russian aggression, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

UK PM Johnson has stated that he is considering sending Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon fighter jets and Royal Navy warships to southeastern Europe. Earlier, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stated that Britain would send 350 additional troops to Poland amid the ongoing standoff between Russia and Ukraine. 

UK to place 1,000 troops on standby to deploy to Eastern Europe

It is worth mentioning here that the United Kingdom has decided to place 1,000 troops on standby to deploy to Eastern Europe if a refugee crisis occurs as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The UK government has warned that if Russia invades Ukraine, it might end in a humanitarian disaster.

The US has also warned that a large-scale displacement of 1-5 million people could occur, with the majority of refugees settling in Poland. The UK announced in December, last year, that it would send 100 engineers to Poland to help secure the country's eastern border, as per The Guardian. 

(Image: AP)