London promises to increase training program for Ukrainian troops

KYIV. Aug 11 (Interfax) – The United Kingdom will double its contribution to efforts to train Ukraine’s military, UK Secretary of Defense Michael Fallon has said.

Speaking at a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk in Kyiv, Fallon described today’s situation in the east of Ukraine as extremely complicated. A lot of people have been killed and there are many refugees, he said.

Fallon said he had come to Ukraine to reaffirm the UK authorities’ support for Ukraine and their respect for the country’s territorial integrity and state borders.

Fallon also said he was pleased to announce that the UK would double the size of its training program for Ukrainian troops.

The UK remains a friend for Ukraine and will stand shoulder to shoulder with it, he said.

Yatsenyuk, for his part, confirmed that, indeed, the current situation in Donbas was extremely difficult.

“The situation is increasingly complicated,” he said.

Fallon said later that the UK would increase the number of Ukrainian servicemen being trained as part of the UK program to 2,000.

The UK has decided to raise the number of Ukrainian servicemen taking the UK training courses to 2,000 and to complete their training before the end of the financial year in the United Kingdom – before September 31, Fallon told a joint press briefing with Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Ukrainian military specialists are expected to receive training in four areas in order to be able to conduct effective mine-clearing operations, operations in a residential area, perform operational planning and provide engineering support, he said.