British troops could be sent to Ukraine to train military for first time, says Defence Secretary Grant Shapps

The UK government wants to deploy military instructors to Ukraine, in addition to training Ukrainian armed forces in Britain or other Western countries. Key points: The proposal could reduce the reliance on the UK and other Nato members' bases To date, Britain and its allies have avoided a formal military presence in Ukraine Britain has provided five-week military training courses to around 20,000 Ukrainians during the past year To date, Britain and its allies have avoided a formal military presence in Ukraine to reduce the risk of a direct conflict with Russia. The UK has provided five-week military training courses to around 20,000 Ukrainians during the past year, and intends to train a similar number going forward. But in an interview with a British newspaper, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said there was scope to offer military training within Ukraine after a discussion on Friday with British military chiefs. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday he wants to turn his country's defence industry into a "large military hub" by partnering with Western weapons manufacturers to increase arms supplies for Kyiv's counteroffensive against Russia.