Dutch Defense Ministry: 90 Service Members Involved in Training of Ukrainian Soldiers in UK

PARIS (Sputnik) - About 90 Dutch troops are involved in the training of Ukrainian soldiers in the UK, the Defense Ministry of the Netherlands said in a statement.

On Monday, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren paid a working visit to Kiev. She discussed military support for Ukraine with her Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov.

"At present, 90 Dutch military personnel are in the United Kingdom to give basic military training to Ukrainian soldiers," the Dutch Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"The Netherlands has also provided equipment to the Ukrainian explosive ordnance disposal service, and together with a partner country is investigating the possibilities for support to Ukraine through related training and sharing expertise," it said.

Earlier in August, the Netherlands joined the training program for Ukrainian military personnel in the UK.

Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 in response to calls by the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics for protection from Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said the goal of the operation, which targets Ukrainian military infrastructure, is to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine, and to completely liberate Donbass.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the operation aims to "protect people subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." As of March 25, the Russian Armed Forces completed the main tasks of the first stage, significantly reducing the combat potential of Ukraine. Western nations have imposed numerous sanctions on Russia and have been supplying weapons to Ukraine.