The U.K. is reportedly considering returning a portion of its Ukrainian training mission to Ukrainian soil in a major shift in policy.
The British Defense Minister has reportedly discussed plans to move more training and production for Ukraine’s war effort back to the country’s territory. Speaking with The Telegraph, Defense Minister Grant Shapps said he spoke to British Army leadership about shifting parts of Operation Interflex, the Britain-based training program, back to bases on Ukrainian soil.
The remarks came in the wake of Ukraine’s International Defense Industries Forum, a collaborative conference with international arms makers attempting to overhaul Ukraine’s domestic arms industry. Defense firms from the United States, U.K., Germany, France, Turkey, Sweden, the Czech Republic and others met with Ukrainian officials for talks on joint armament production.
To that end, Shapps further called on British defense firms to establish production in Ukraine, and said he talked with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about a potential Royal Navy role in protecting Ukrainian shipping in the Black Sea.
Both discussed proposals on land and at sea would be significant changes in the U.K.’s strategy to support Kyiv. NATO troops previously trained Ukrainian forces for nearly seven years beginning in the aftermath of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the War in the Donbas. That training mission continued even as concerns over Russia’s buildup on the border grew louder. Apart from troops performing security at embassies or during diplomatic visits, and despite many Russian claims otherwise, no NATO troops have officially walked on Ukrainian soil in any capacity since the war began.
While a training mission is not ostensibly a combat role, there are major concerns that doing so could risk for escalation should Russian forces target NATO troops in Ukraine. In March 2022, Russian cruise missiles struck the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security outside Yavoriv, Ukraine, killing 35 and wounding 134. The base and maneuver area, less than 20 kilometers from the Polish border, previously housed members of Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine. Royal Navy escorts in the Black Sea on the other hand, however, would invariably put themselves between Russian forces and Ukrainian ships.
NATO forces have taken great care to avoid ending up in the fight. There have been dangerous close calls in Poland and over the Black Sea, not to mention Russian drones recently ending up in Romania. Exact details of what the U.K. is considering remain uncertain, but neither London nor its NATO allies will likely take those steps unless they are ready to meet those risks.
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Among other defense forum headlines is a $100 million investment from Turkish drone maker Bayraktar toward a UAV production facility. Bayraktar TB-2 drones became an early staple of Ukraine’s war effort, notably for strikes on and around Snake Island. Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov tweeted a photo with the company’s CEO Haluk Bayraktar lauding the agreement.
Also from the conference, Ukraine may soon take over production of the Czech BZ BREN 2 assault rifle. The modular rifle comes chambered in either NATO 5.56x45mm or the Russian 7.62x39mm cartridge. Proposals also included joint production of ammunition, armored vehicles, and the TATRA chassis of utility trucks.
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