UK trains over 5,000 Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel

Britain has trained more than 5,000 members of Ukraine’s Armed Forces - 1,000 more than initially targeted.

Defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon made the announcement following a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Stepan Poltorak in London on Wednesday (July 5th). The two discussed how the UK could support defence and security reform in Ukraine.

British personnel have been in the country since 2015 on Operation Orbital, training the Ukrainian Armed Forces in a number of defensive skills, such as the identification of mines and IEDs (improvised explosive devices), medical care and logistics.

It was announced last year that the training mission would continue until at least early 2018.

Sir Michael said the training exercise sends a clear message that the UK is committed to supporting the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“As the UK is stepping up across the world, we are standing side by side with our Ukrainian friends,” he commented.

Mr Poltorak is in the UK to discuss his country’s progress in implementing reform at the Ukraine Reform Conference in Lancaster House, along with other senior Ukrainian ministers.

The conference will see the UK government and its international partners reinforce their support for reform in the country.