News / Military

UK hosts head of Ukrainian armed forces as tensions mount on Russia-Ukraine border

Tuesday, 20 April 2021 5:02 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 11 May 2021 8:51 AM ]

General Nick Carter (L) meets his Ukrainian counterpart General Khomchak (R) in London on Tuesday

As tensions continue to mount on the Russian-Ukrainian border, the UK has undertaken yet another escalatory step by hosting the head of the Ukrainian armed forces.

The commander in chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, General Ruslan Khomchak, arrived in the UK today (April 20) where he was met by Chief of the Defense Staff General Sir Nick Carter.

The Ministry of Defense tweeted that the UK remains “firmly committed” to Ukrainian "independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity"

Today Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter welcomed his Ukrainian counterpart to @DefenceHQ for the first time for discussions on our ongoing defence cooperation.

The UK remains firmly committed to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. pic.twitter.com/strvRGR60a
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 20, 2021

The visit is a dramatic sign of growing military cooperation between the two nations.Since the start of the conflict in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine in 2014 the UK has trained 20,000 members of the Ukrainian armed forces, much to Russia’s chagrin.

🇬🇧🇺🇦
The UK and Ukraine’s defence cooperation has seen UK troops train over 20,000 members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2015. The UK also leads a Maritime Training Initiative and supports Ukraine’s defence reform.
Read more here --> https://t.co/cTzMyA1Hgx
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 20, 2021

The training - coupled with a limited British military deployment in Ukraine - is known as Operation ORBITAL.

By hosting the head of the Ukrainian armed forces the UK is signaling its desire to get more involved in the tense situation on the Russia-Ukraine border, where the armies of both nations have been massing troops for the past four weeks.

The UK has already announced it will send Royal Navy warships to the Black Sea next month with the aim of positioning them off the Ukrainian coast in a show of “solidarity with Kiev and Nato allies”.

UK escalates tensions with Russia as crisis intensifies on the edge...

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