United Kingdom in talks to deliver missiles to Ukraine amid energy crisis with Russia

The United Kingdom and Ukraine are in talks to negotiate their first arms contract, in which London is likely to supply Kyiv with missiles, reported news agency Sputnik citing The Times. Both countries are discussing the possible delivery of surface-to-surface missiles for Ukrainian patrol boats and aircraft missiles, the report stated, adding that the UK Ministry of Defense was considering selling Brimstone missiles developed by MBDA UK based in France. The talks between the two European countries have been reportedly initiated following Ukrainian Defense Ministry's concerns that Russia might try to increase tensions amid the current gas issue, reported the British newspaper. 

Ukraine presently serves as a transit point for a Russian gas pipeline. However, once the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea is functional, President Putin will no longer rely on Kyiv to supply gas to Europe which might put Ukraine at risk of further hostile Russian action, the report stated. Notably, Ukraine has been actively bolstering its connections with the West, especially military ties, since 2014 when an armed conflict occurred in the eastern part of Donbas and the Crimean Peninsula. Kyiv often accuses Moscow of orchestrating the country's crises, the report stated. 

EU to send military training mission to Ukraine

Despite the ongoing tensions with Russia, the European Union (EU) said on October 11 that it was contemplating sending a military training mission to Ukraine, as well as training against cybercrimes, according to the Associated Press (AP). The EU intends to respond to Ukraine's request for assistance with "professional military education." Last month, it despatched a fact-finding mission to the country, and it now intends to hold talks about giving military training to Russia's neighbour. On the condition of anonymity, an EU official told the AP that the bloc's political and security committee, which is in charge of the common foreign and security policy, will revisit the issue in November and subsequently take a final decision. While the EU has put economic sanctions on Russia, it will consider ways to strengthen cooperation with Ukraine, reported the AP.

It should be mentioned here that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier called for the improvement of ties with Russia. As Russia protested the former Soviet republic's application for NATO membership, Zelenskyy appealed for assistance from NATO and the EU. Meanwhile, Russia has stated that engaging in discussions with Ukraine is "pointless" because Kyiv's administration is fully reliant on foreign supervision. Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian Security Council's Deputy Chairman, said in an article published in the Russian Kommersant newspaper that partners like Ukraine can not be trusted in the matter of international relations who often indulge in "constant nonsense," reported the AP. 

Image: AP