UK Defense Ministry Exploring Prospects For Long-Term Cooperation With Ukraine

Faizan Hashmi Published April 07, 2022 | 07:36 PM

The United Kingdom is exploring options for ensuring the continuity and sustainability of military support for Ukraine, the UK defense ministry said on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th April, 2022) The United Kingdom is exploring options for ensuring the continuity and sustainability of military support for Ukraine, the UK defense ministry said on Thursday.

Earlier in the week, UK defense ministry officials received a Ukrainian delegation, headed by Deputy Defense Minister Volodymyr Havrylov, in Salisbury Plain Training Area to discuss the challenges the Ukrainian troops are facing and look into the possibilities of scaling up London's military assistance for Kiev.

"We are exploring options for future military support, including working with the UK Defence industry and our Ukrainian counterparts into the longer term to ensure the equipment supplied continues to be both effective and sustainable for their heroic armed forces," UK Defense Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin was quoted as saying by the ministry.

In the course of the visit, the UK army's 3rd Division and the Royal Marines showed off a range of equipment and variants of further military support, including defensive missile systems and protected mobile vehicles, the statement added.

"The Ukrainian job is far from done and the Prime Minister has directed that the UK provides even more in support of this next phase of the conflict. It was an honour to show Minister Havrylov and his generals the kit the UK hopes to provide next and to discuss some new weapons," Armed Forces Minister James Heappey was quoted as saying.

The UK has trained over 22,000 military personnel in Ukraine since 2015 through Operation Orbital. In 2021, the military support was reinforced, when London and Kiev signed a bilateral treaty that allocated 1.7 billion Pounds ($2.2 billion) to boost Ukraine's naval capabilities.

After Russia's military operation in Ukraine began, the UK has supplied Kiev with more than 4,000 anti-tank weapons, at least 16,000 missiles, including next-generation lightweight anti-tank systems and Javelin missiles. On March 24, the UK provided another 25 million pounds in support of the Ukrainian troops.