 A former Russian president has warned the presence of British soldiers training Ukrainian troops in Ukraine would bring World War III closer. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council and the country's president between 2008 and 2012, made the comments in a post on Telegram. These came in response to a suggestion made by UK Defence Minister Grant Shapps that Westminster may at some point in the future deploy military instructors to Ukraine in support of Ukrainian forces. This in addition to the training already being provided to Ukrainian armed forces in Britain and other Western countries. Mdevedev, whose anti-western stance and rhetoric is perhaps staunchest among key Putin allies, hit back and said any presence of UK troops on Ukrainian soil would 'turn their instructors into a legal target for our armed forces… understanding perfectly well that they will be ruthlessly destroyed'. Earlier today, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appeared to row back on the comments made by Mr Shapps, who was only appointed to his post a month ago. Speaking at the start of the Conservative Party's annual conference in Manchester this afternoon, Mr Sunak told reporters: 'What the defence secretary was saying was that it might well be possible one day in the future for us to do some of that training in Ukraine. Medvedev has repeatedly suggested actions by 'completely crazy' Western nations meant a global-scale conflict was 'getting closer' (Picture: Kremlin.ru / East2west News) 'But that's something for the long term, not the here and now.' He further clarified 'there are no British soldiers that will be sent to fight in the current conflict'. Following a visit to a military base on Salisbury Plain and a subsequent call with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, Mr Shapps had further called on British defence){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
A former Russian president has warned the presence of British soldiers training Ukrainian troops in Ukraine would bring World War III closer.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council and the country’s president between 2008 and 2012, made the comments in a post on Telegram.
These came in response to a suggestion made by UK Defence Minister Grant Shapps that Westminster may at some point in the future deploy military instructors to Ukraine in support of Ukrainian forces.
This in addition to the training already being provided to Ukrainian armed forces in Britain and other Western countries.