Britain could send troops to Ukraine in £225m support package as defence secretary vows to 'put a lot more pressure' on Vladimir Putin
Share:
Britain could send troops to Ukraine as part of a £225million support package for Kyiv, the Defence Secretary has hinted - as he vowed to 'put a lot more pressure' on Vladimir Putin. John Healey appeared to be open to the idea of sending British soldiers into the war-torn nation to help train fresh Ukrainian recruits to fight the Russians.
![[British troops have training more than 51,000 Ukrainian soldiers since 2022. Pictured is a British soldier teaching Ukrainian recruits how to assault a building]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/19/09/93306879-14209259-image-a-11_1734601631239.jpg)
The UK has already played a key role in preparing Ukrainian volunteers for the front line, training more than 51,000 soldiers at British bases since Putin launched his full-scale invasion in 2022. But in a potential change of direction, Mr Healey said the UK now needs to 'make training a better fit for what the Ukrainians need' during his latest trip to Kyiv.
![[Defence Secretary John Healey (right) is open to sending UK troops to Ukraine to train new recruits there. He is seen speaking with British soldiers at the Stanford Training Area on October 20, 2024 near Thetford, England]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/19/09/93306263-14209259-image-m-2_1734601117893.jpg)
The Defence Secretary, 64, added that his son's service as an army reservist has helped him understand the 'gravity' of military action overseas for soldiers' families. Speaking to The Times, the Labour MP said: 'We [need to] make it easier for the Ukrainians to access and we [need to] work with the Ukrainians to help them motivate and mobilise more recruits.'.
![[Ukrainian recruits and their British Armed Forces trainers pose for a photograph on an AS90 self-propelled artillery system at a military facility, on February 23, 2023 in Southern England]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/19/09/93306283-14209259-image-a-14_1734602020618.jpg)
Asked if this meant extending training of Ukrainian recruits inside the UK to Ukraine itself, he added: 'We will look wherever we can to respond to what the Ukrainians want. They are the ones fighting.'. Last year, former Tory Defence Secretary Grant Shapps expressed his support for such a move during an interview with the Sunday Telegraph.
![[Ukrainian soldiers put their new skills into action, breaching a building while a British Army instructor watches on]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/19/09/93306873-14209259-image-a-12_1734601647818.jpg)
