To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to supply lethal aid to the Ukrainian armed forces; and if he will make a statement.
Answered on
7 December 2017
The UK provides considerable support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF), chiefly through our military training mission, Operation ORBITAL, which delivers defensive, non-escalatory advice and training in response to requirements identified by the UAF themselves. We also actively support Ukraine's defence reform agenda through the employment of a dedicated Special Defence Adviser embedded in the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence as well as a broad programme of defence education and other engagement. The UK has provided non-lethal equipment to the UAF, such as winter clothing and tents, ruggedized laptops and first aid kits. Our policy, to date, has been to not provide lethal equipment to the UAF, whilst reserving the right to keep this policy under review.