Contradicting Defense Secretary, British Prime Minister Denies Immediate Plans for Sending Troops to Ukraine

 British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has stated that there are no immediate plans to send British soldiers to Ukraine, contradicting comments made by Defense Secretary Grant Shapps. Shapps had suggested that British troops could carry out training in Ukraine, in addition to training Ukrainian armed forces in Britain or other Western countries. However, Sunak clarified that Shapps' comments were about the possibility of training in Ukraine in the long term, not the immediate future. Sunak emphasized that there are currently no British soldiers involved in the conflict in Ukraine and that the UK's support is focused on training Ukrainian troops.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that any British soldiers training Ukrainian troops in Ukraine would be legitimate targets for Russian forces. Despite this, Britain has provided five-week military training courses to around 20,000 Ukrainians over the past year and plans to train a similar number in the future. Shapps also expressed hope that British defense companies, such as BAE Systems, would proceed with plans to set up arms factories in Ukraine.

In his speech at the Conservative Party's annual conference, Shapps did not address his earlier comments but emphasized the need to support Ukraine's war against Russia, adding that British peacekeeping troops were being sent to Kosovo due to increased violence in the country. Additionally, British fighter jets were dispatched to Poland to help protect NATO's eastern flank following a request from the Polish government.