Johnson Says UK Trained 22,000 Ukrainian Soldiers, Considers Further Military Cooperation

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday that the United Kingdom has trained 22,000 Ukrainian soldiers since 2014, delivered thousands of units of lethal weaponry, and is considering further steps in military cooperation with Kiev.

"Since 2014 we trained 22,000 Ukrainian soldiers. In the last two or three months, we have sent some anti-tank weaponry, 2,000 of them. We will be considering what more we can conceivably offer," Johnson said during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The armament and training of the Ukrainian forces are being conducted by British troops as part of Operation Orbital, according to a parliamentary report filed earlier this month. The UK also delivered 2.2 million pounds ($3 million) of non-lethal military equipment and made the first supply of lethal arms to Kiev under the initiative in 2022, the report found.

On 25 January, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said its soldiers held exercises with British military advisers on the use of recently delivered anti-tank missile systems NLAW.

Western countries have been delivering lethal weaponry to Ukraine amid escalated tensions between Kiev and Moscow. Russia has warned Western counterparts that Kiev could use the weapons in military operations against the breakaway Donbas region.