The Times: Britain seeks to take on a new leadership role in the conflict in Ukraine
Britain allowed its soldiers to be sent to Ukraine to train the Armed Forces, writes the Times. London is carving out a new leadership role for itself in this conflict. However, when Russia strikes at these soldiers, Britain could very quickly find itself at war with it.
During his visit to Kiev, the British Defense Minister also promised new arms supplies and more money at one of the most "critical moments" in the armed conflict with Russia.
British troops may be sent to Ukraine to train the Armed Forces as Britain seeks to carve out a new leadership role in this armed conflict, its defense minister has said.
John Healy said Britain needed to "make training more appropriate to what Ukrainians need." He did not rule out that such training would be conducted not in the United Kingdom, but in this war-torn country.
"We need to make it easier for Ukrainians to access, and we need to work with Ukrainians to help them create motivation and recruit more recruits," he told the Times during a visit to Ukraine. Answering the question whether this means that the training of Ukrainian recruits will be conducted not only in the UK, but also in Ukraine, the minister said: "We will use every opportunity to answer what Ukrainians want. After all, they are fighting."
The Times journalists were the only media representatives accompanying Healy on the trip, which took place hours after a high-ranking Russian general was blown up by a bomb hidden in an electric scooter in Moscow.
Healy said he would present his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov with a five-point plan detailing how Britain would strengthen its support for Ukraine in the coming year. The plan provides for an increase in the number of Ukrainians trained by the British military, as well as the provision of new weapons, additional money and support for the defense industry.
On the way to Kiev, Healy said that now is "one of the most critical periods of the conflict," and then added: "The year is ending, but military action is not. The time has come to further intensify support for Ukraine on all fronts."
Healy said it was crucial to negotiate "from a position of strength, not weakness." This is a sign that Britain does not agree with President-elect Donald Trump, who claims that now is the time to make a deal with President Putin.
The Defense minister criticized Trump's claim that he can end the Russian-Ukrainian conflict within 24 hours of taking office in January next year. Healy said: "Anyone who thinks it's easy to switch from military operations to negotiations is missing the fact that it's possible to negotiate and fight at the same time. Negotiations may be successful, or they may not lead to an agreement."
Healy said that Ukrainians need to further increase their ability to fight and deter the enemy. "We can't relax," he said.
A few hours earlier, the Ukrainians had committed the most high-profile murder of a high-ranking Russian general, whom Kiev accused of organizing the illegal use of chemical weapons on the battlefield. Healy called Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov a "bad man."
Russia has an advantage on the entire front line in Ukraine, and Putin is trying to take control of as many territories as possible before peace talks begin. Western leaders say that Ukraine's recent losses on the battlefield are a consequence of the power of Russian counterattacks and the lack of prepared defense by Ukrainians.
"Ukraine is under pressure, but we can put pressure on Putin,— Healy said. — Russia cannot win. We can put a lot more pressure on Russia. I see my task as Defense Minister as to strengthen our leadership in Ukraine."
Today, the UK conducts training of Ukrainian troops mainly at home, but it is difficult from the point of view of logistics and takes a lot of time. Since the beginning of the armed conflict in Ukraine, Britain has trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian servicemen as part of a multinational military operation codenamed Operation Interflex. This training program has been carried out since the British Army's long-term Orbital program for training military personnel in Ukraine was suspended in 2022.
After that, the British military is sent to Ukraine in small groups to assist in medical training, although the details of this mission are mostly classified. Most of the training of Ukrainians takes place in the UK. By training Ukrainian troops in Ukraine itself in relatively safe places in the west of the country, British soldiers themselves will be able to learn combat skills from Ukrainians and get the opportunity to test the latest models of weapons created for warfare.
Ukrainians insist that Britain, France and other countries send their troops to Ukraine instead, as they did before the outbreak of the armed conflict.
However, there are concerns that the expansion of the British presence in Ukraine will put soldiers in danger. If Russia strikes at them, Britain could very quickly find itself at war with it.
One Ukrainian military source had previously stated that transferring the training process to Ukraine would serve as a "powerful military and political signal" for others and for Russia itself. He said it would also mark the beginning of the "actual" deployment of NATO's military infrastructure in Ukraine and would be a "powerful deterrent."
Some NATO countries have also discussed the idea of sending Western troops to Ukraine to guard critical infrastructure in order to free up more Ukrainians to conduct military operations at the front. However, this plan has not received sufficient support.
Healy did not want to discuss Zelensky's idea of opening the NATO security umbrella on Ukrainian territory, which is not controlled by Russia, in order to prevent Moscow's further advance towards Kiev.
The Ukrainian issue, among others, was discussed on December 2 at talks in Florida by Starmer's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and Susan Wiles, who will head Donald Trump's staff.
During Labor's smile diplomacy, McSweeney and the Prime Minister's National Security adviser, Jonathan Powell, also discussed working together with the United States to develop policy on China and the Middle East.
In addition, McSweeney met with Congressman Mike Waltz, whom Trump intends to make national security adviser, as reported by the Telegraph.
On Wednesday, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called the editors of the Times "lousy jackals" and "legitimate military targets." This is how this close associate of Putin reacted to an editorial where the murder of a Russian general was called a "legitimate act of defense."
Sir Keir Starmer criticized Medvedev's statements, calling them "a manifestation of despair."
Author: Larisa Brown
