​UK stuns Europe by sending troops to Ukraine

“Over the course of the next month we are going to be deploying British service personnel to provide advice and a range of training, from tactical intelligence to logistics to medical care, which is something else they have asked for,” UK Prime Minister David Cameron said on Feb. 24.

“We will also be developing an infantry training programme with Ukraine to improve the durability of their forces. This will involve a number of British service personnel; they will be away from the area of conflict but I think this is the sort of thing we should be helping with.”

EU officials in Brussels first learned of the decision when contacted by the Kyiv Post for comment, and were unable to provide one. The EU already has two military attachés in Ukraine but they are not involved in operational or training activities.

The French Embassy in Kyiv were similarly taken aback, saying they were focused on today’s peace talks in Paris as the foreign ministries of France and Germany tried to resuscitate a still-born cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine.

But speaking to the House of Commons’ liaison committee, Cameron said it would be “miraculous” if the second Minsk peace deal, brokered by French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, held. He expressed concern that the Black Sea port city of Mariupol would be Russia’s next target, arguing for tough new sanctions in the face of such an eventuality.

“What we are seeing is Russian-backed aggression, often these are Russian troops, they are Russian tanks, they are Russian Grad missiles. As I said the other day, you can’t buy these things on eBay, they are coming from Russia, people shouldn’t be in any doubt about that,” he said.

“People will be looking at Mariupol as the next potential flashpoint, and if that were to happen, I think the argument for further action would be overwhelming. I think that would be the view of countries like Poland, the Baltic states and many others.”

“I think what we should be putting into place is a sense that if there is another Debaltseve then that will trigger a round of sanctions that will be materially different to what we have seen so far.”

The UK decision followed hot on the heels of the Paris meeting’s conclusion, implying impatience and frustration with yet another fruitless round of talks with an intransigent Russia.

A vague statement given at the meeting’s close by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that “France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine remain determined to continue taking action in this [the Normandy meeting] format and to do their utmost to ensure that the commitments are upheld and the crisis is resolved,” but offered nothing on concrete steps the respective parties would take to resolve the conflict.

Earlier today Ukraine accused separatist and Russian troops of continuing an assault on the Ukrainian-held village of Shyrokyne, just 10km from Mariupol, and failing to withdraw its heavy weaponry from the front line as required by the Minsk plan. Ukraine said that enemy tanks and artillery were moving southwards to the Mariupol area, and refused to withdraw its own artillery as long its forces were under attack.

The UK move will likely exacerbate divisions within the European Union over the Ukraine crisis, with countries like Greece and Hungary opposing fresh sanctions against Russia for fear of short-term damage to their economies.

However, economic instability in Europe continued to reflect political instability in the region, with the euro dropping against the dollar throughout the conflict, from 1.39 euros to the dollar in May 2014 to 1.13 today.

When asked how the UK’s position related to that of other EU member states, Cameron said:

“Britain’s role is to be at the tougher end of the spectrum, to try to keep the European Union and the United States together, and I think we should be clear about this pattern of behaviour we’ve seen from Putin now over many years.”

For its part, the US has already pledged a full battalion of advisers to help train three Ukrainian battalions in spring this year, at the Yavariv training center in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

The US Army Europe commander, Lt. General Ben Hodges, said American soldiers will teach the Ukrainians how to better defend themselves against “Russian and rebel artillery and rockets.” Training will also include securing roads, bridges and other infrastructure, treating and evacuating casualties, and operating in an environment where Russians are jamming communications.

Kyiv Post news editor Maxim Tucker can be reached at tucker@kyivpost.com or via Twitter @MaxRTucker