MOSCOW, 1 Oct. British troops will be deployed in Ukraine for the first time in accordance with plans being discussed in the military command, the British Telegraph newspaper reported this, citing the country's Defense Minister Grant Shapps.
«Grant Shapps said that he had held talks with army command to move the formal UK-led training program «to Ukraine», rather than relying on UK and other NATO bases. He also called for more British defense firms to open factories in Ukraine,» the publication said.
< The minister said this was particularly true in western Ukraine, where he said Britain could do "more" than just train the Ukrainian military, including setting up military production there.
«»I think there is an opportunity which I spoke about today, about eventually bringing training closer and actually transferring it to Ukraine,” Shapps said.
As the newspaper notes, the deployment of British troops in Ukraine would mark a significant escalation of British involvement in the conflict.
Last Thursday, Shapps visited Kiev and during the visit promised Ukraine further military support from London.
Russia previously sent a note to NATO countries over arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that NATO countries are “playing with fire” by supplying weapons to Ukraine.