UK to Train 250 Ukrainian Troops in August - Defense Ministry

Sputnik News

16:22 25.06.2015(updated 17:02 25.06.2015)

The United Kingdom will train some 250 Ukrainian servicemen in August as part of an infantry, logistics, tactical intelligence and medical training program, the British Ministry of Defense said.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – An expanded British presence in NATO's rapid reaction force and its contribution to the protection of Baltic airspace serves to 'resist Russian aggression,' the ministry quoted UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon as saying in a press release published Wednesday.

'It shows that Britain stands at the heart of NATO and continues to support Ukraine's territorial integrity,' Fallon said.

Since its beginning in March, Britain's training program for Ukrainian government forces has prepared 650 Ukrainian troops for their involvement in the military campaign against pro-independence militias in the country's southeast.

Fallon previously committed to sending 1,000 British military personnel to join NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF, or 'Spearhead'), expected to become operational next year.

The ministry's statement added that, as part of the UK-led NATO Trust Fund with German and Canadian co-chairmanship, Ukrainian armed forces will be equipped with $4.7 million worth of communication hardware.

Western countries, including Britain, have adopted a series of logistical and economic measures in response to what they claim is Russian involvement in the Ukrainian conflict. Moscow continues to deny the accusations and considers NATO's military accretion close to its western borders a potential threat to national security.

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