British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Sunday he had no immediate plans to send troops to Ukraine, despite comments made by the recently appointed defense secretary last month suggesting troops could be sent to the country to conduct training.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the UK has not yet sent troops, which could reduce the risk of direct conflict with Russia.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps told The Sunday Telegraph newspaper last month that he wanted to send military trainers to Ukraine and train their forces in Britain or other Western countries.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER RISHI SUNAK names Grant Shapps as the next defense secretary
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called American XL Bully dogs a “danger to our communities” and announced plans to ban them after public outcry following a series of recent attacks. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
But Shapps’ vision and Sunak’s vision did not appear to align, with the prime minister saying within hours that there were no immediate plans to send British troops to Ukraine.
“What the defense secretary said was that it might well be possible that one day we could do some of that training in Ukraine,” Sunak told reporters at the start of the ruling Conservative Party’s annual conference in Manchester. “But this is something long-term, not the here and now. There are no British soldiers being sent to the current conflict.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Any British troops training Ukrainian soldiers in Ukraine would be targeted by Russian forces, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is leading climate activists to take a bold step for energy independence
Grant Shapps leaves Downing Street after being appointed Defense Secretary as part of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s mini-reshuffle triggered by the formal resignation of Ben Wallace, in London, Thursday, August 31, 2023. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)
This does not mean that Britain does not provide education to Ukrainians. In fact, the United Kingdom trained about 20,000 Ukrainians in five-week military courses last year, Portal reported, and it intends to train a similar number of people in the future.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
After speaking to British military chiefs on Friday, Shapps told The Sunday Telegraph there were opportunities for military training in Ukraine.
“Today I spoke about the fact that training can finally be brought closer and actually brought to Ukraine,” he was quoted as saying. “In my opinion, especially in the west of the country, there is now an opportunity to bring more things ‘into the country’.”
PUTIN SELECTS FORMER PRIGOZHIN TO HELP TRAIN UKRAINIAN VOLUNTEERS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Nearly 50,000 Russian soldiers have died in the war in Ukraine, according to a new statistical analysis. (Ministry of Ukraine/Twitter)
He also said he hoped British defense companies such as BAE Systems would press ahead with plans to set up weapons factories in Ukraine.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
However, speaking at the Conservative Party’s annual conference, he did not address comments he had previously made about the troop march into Ukraine, saying instead that the war was “consuming people and weapons on a frightening scale” but ” We must remain steadfast.” in supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Portal contributed to this report.