The government of Great Britain noted on February 8, 2023, that the UK would extend the training of Ukrainian pilots, as well as marines. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce this during his meeting with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which will visit the UK for the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Source: The government of Great Britain
“As part of today’s talks, the Prime Minister will offer to bolster the UK’s training offer for Ukrainian troops, including expanding it to fighter jet pilots to ensure Ukraine can defend its skies well into the future. The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated NATO-standard fighter jets in the future. As part of that long-term capability investment, the UK will work with Ukraine and international allies to coordinate collective support to meet Ukraine’s defensive needs,” explained the government of Great Britain.
Rishi Sunak will also suggest starting an immediate training program for the marines. This training will complement the already running training program in the UK.
“That training will be in addition to the recruit training programme already running in the UK, which has seen 10,000 Ukrainian troops brought to battle readiness in the last six months, and which will upskill a further 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers this year. The UK will continue to work with the Ukrainian Armed Forces and international community to scale the programme up in 2023,” added the British government.
The President of Ukraine and his team are also expected to meet with Britain’s defence and security chiefs to discuss details of the training programme.
“I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future. It also underlines our commitment to not just provide military equipment for the short term, but a long-term pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for years to come,” said the Prime Minister of Britain.
See also: Ukrainian military arrived in Great Britain to master AS-90 self-propelled artillery: photos
