UK: Defence Minister meets Ukrainian authorities to review future military aid

Defence Minister of United Kingdom conducted a Ukrainian government delegation to Salisbury Plain Training Area to review the equipment and options for further military aid this week. The UK remains in support to continue its defence against Russia’s baseless and illegal invasion.

Jeremy Quin MP, Minister for Defence Procurement and James Heappey MP, Armed Forces Minister, was also joined by Volodymyr Havrylov, Deputy Defence Minister and senior Ukrainian military officers, who visited the UK on behalf of President Zelenskyy.

The British Ministers had discussions with their Ukrainian counterparts to talk about the challenges they are facing to provide military aid to Ukraine and ensure military aid can integrate into existing systems.

During the visit, the British Army’s 3rd Division and Royal Marines demonstrated a range of equipment and options for further military support, including defensive missile systems and protected mobility vehicles.

The Ukrainian delegation observed the Starstreak air defence system, which the UK has already provided and trained Ukrainian Armed Forces to use, so they can better defend their airspace from Russian aggression.

Ukraine’s Armed Forces continue to put up a tenacious fight against the illegal and unprovoked invasion by Putin’s forces. We’re proud that they’re doing so with weapons provided by and through the United Kingdom.

But 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 that have been trialled recently with UK forces.

The UK has been clear of our support for Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s invasion.

The UK has a deep and longstanding bilateral defence relationship with Ukraine and, since 2015, has trained over 22,000 personnel as part of Operation Orbital and the UK-led Maritime Training Initiative.