Ukrainian troops will arrive in the UK in days for armoured vehicle training with the British military, the government confirmed today.
UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said the UK would step up its support for Ukraine’s Army as he warned “all options are on the table” if Russia is found to have carried out a chemical attack.
Mr Heappey told LBC Radio: “There’s 120 armoured vehicles that are in the process of being made ready.
“And the Ukrainian troops that will operate them will arrive in the UK in the next few days to learn how to drive and command those vehicles.”
Radio host Nick Ferrari told him: “That’s tremendous, so we’re going to be training Ukrainian blokes and women on our kit here in the UK?”
“Yes,” replied Mr Heappey.
The UK has already been helping train the Ukrainian Armed Forces since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Speaking to the BBC Mr Heappey added: "There are more shoulder-launched anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles that we are sending as well as loitering precision munitions, and as you heard the Prime Minister say at the weekend, we're also sending an anti-ship capability as well."
He spoke of the "importance of upholding that the use of chemical weapons is a line that the international community simply won't tolerate".
Mr Heappey claimed Ukrainian troops can defeat Russian forces in the Donbas because of Vladimir Putin ’s “hubris”.
The Russian President’s reported push for a military triumph in the fiercely-contested eastern region ahead of Moscow’s traditional May 9 Victory Parade bolstered Kyiv’s chances of winning, according to the Armed Forces Minister.
Spring fighting conditions meant Kremlin soldiers risked becoming bogged down in the battle, he warned.
Asked if the UK Government believed Ukrainian forces were able to repel Putin’s troops, Mr Heappey said: “We absolutely do.
“There is hubris in the Russian plan for the next phase - you can conduct military options in Ukraine either in the dead of winter when the ground is frozen solid or in the summer when the ground is dry and hard.
“The mud of Ukraine in the springtime has brought the Nazis to a standstill in Operation Barbarossa and Putin’s desire to have a May 9 Victory Parade through Moscow is just characteristic of the hubris and utter disregard for loss of Russian life that he has shown so far.”
Terrain conditions meant Russian armoured convoys would be forced to remain on roads, making them “pretty easy pickings” for Ukrainian defenders, he added.
It comes as Britain is “working urgently” to verify reports that Russian forces may have launched a chemical attack in Ukraine.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss became one of the first Western senior politicians to speak out last night - as Mr Heappey warned “all options are on the table” if chemical weapons are confirmed.
He said: “The use of chemical weapons is abhorrent, does cross a line, and all options are on the table for how we respond.”
Asked if that could mean direct NATO involvement, Armed Forces minister James Heappey told the BBC: “All options are on the table”.
However he did also point he could not unilaterally pledge NATO involvement, and any response could also happen separately to the alliance.
Last night there were unconfirmed reports from the besieged port city of Mariupol, whose mayor said more than 10,000 civilians have died in weeks of fighting.
On Monday evening, Ivanna Klympush, a Ukrainian MP, tweeted: " Russia 1.5hr ago used unknown substance in #Mariupol.
"Victims experience respiratory failure, vestib.-atactic syndrome. Most likely chem.weapons!
"This is red line beyond which must destroy economy of despotism. We demand full embargo on all fuels from #RU &heavy weapons 2UA now!"
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby added from the US government: “We cannot confirm at this time and will continue to monitor the situation closely.
“These reports, if true, are deeply concerning and reflective of concerns that we have had about Russia's potential to use a variety of riot control agents, including tear gas mixed with chemical agents, in Ukraine."
