Minister Shapps spoke about the official dispatch of British troops to Ukraine

Great Britain promises to help Kyiv protect ships from Russia in the Black Sea

British troops could be officially sent to Ukraine for the first time to train Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers, recently appointed UK Defense Minister Grant Shapps said.

The UK Defense Secretary claims that the proposal under discussion will reduce the burden on military bases in the UK and other NATO members, The Guardian writes.

The United Kingdom’s new defense secretary, Grant Shapps, said he had held talks with army officials about deploying British troops to Ukraine for the first time as part of a training programme.

Grant Shapps, who met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for talks in Kyiv earlier this week, said the proposal under discussion would ease pressure on UK and other NATO members’ bases.

Ukraine’s armed forces training programme, supported by 10 other countries, has trained more than 26,500 recruits in military skills and is on track to train more than 30,000 Ukrainian troops by the end of the year, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Shapps also said he had spoken to Zelensky about how the British navy could help protect commercial shipping from Russian activity in the Black Sea.

After a briefing with General Sir Patrick Sanders, the Chief of the General Staff, and other senior staff in Salisbury Plain, Defense Secretary Shapps said: “What I have said today is that eventually training will be moved closer and indeed also into Ukraine. Particularly in the west of the country, I think there is now an opportunity to bring more things ‘in-country’ – not just training, but we also see BAE [британская оборонная фирма], for example, switches to production in this country. I really want other UK companies to do their part by doing the same. So I think there will be a move to expand training and manufacturing in the country.”

Earlier this month, Royal Engineers combat engineers provided Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training to Ukrainian soldiers to clear mines, ammunition and other explosive devices.

As The Guardian recalls, Grant Shapps replaced Defense Secretary Ben Wallace in August for his fifth cabinet post in a year, prompting criticism from some Conservative MPs and former military figures over his lack of relevant experience.

Shapps also suggested that Britain would help Ukraine counter the Russian army’s actions against cargo ships. The French military said that their planes were conducting surveillance over the Black Sea, The Guardian notes.

Grant Shapps said: “Over the last month or so we have seen events – indeed the first since 2014 in the Black Sea, in Crimea – and Britain is a naval power, so we can help and we can advise, especially given that these waters are international. It is important that we do not allow a default situation to arise in which international navigation in these waters is somehow prohibited. So I think there are many places where Britain can help with advice. I actually discussed this with President Zelensky and many others this week.”

The UK provided £2.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2022, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised to do the same in 2023, The Guardian recalls.

This summer, Britain hosted a Ukraine reconstruction conference in partnership with Kiev, raising more than £49 billion ($60 billion) for Ukraine’s reconstruction.