NEW ZEALAND MILITARY TO TRAIN UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS IN UK

Mon 15 August 2022:

On Monday, New Zealand revealed that it would send 120 more members of its armed forces to the UK to help train Ukrainian soldiers, Anadolu Agency reported.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement that these security personnel will train the Ukrainian army as part of a global effort to assist Kyiv in self-defense.

“New Zealand is proud to stand in solidarity alongside a number of other countries to answer that call,” she said.

“We have been clear that a blatant attack on a country’s sovereignty and the subsequent loss of innocent lives is wrong and intolerable.

“It will be similar to the previous artillery training deployment from May, although at a much larger scale, and this deployment will be focused on infantry training.”

The decision brings the total number of NZDF personnel deployed to support Ukraine in the war to 224, a comparable amount to partner nations like Denmark (130) and Sweden (120), Ardern said.

The decisions around New Zealand’s contribution to the Ukraine war effort were weighted towards what it needed and requested, what was able to be supported by other partners in the region, and New Zealand’s strengths, she said.

“What we’ve seen is that the calls for support have been consistent and they’ve been varied, but what Ukraine is often seeking is very much what we’re responding to because they have a real mixture of those who have some basic training to those who have none.”

Ardern said she had no current travel plans into the region or into Europe at this stage.

“Without a doubt, I’m sure your comprehension of the scale of the conflict, of its impact on the Ukrainian people, I have no doubt, is only enhanced by a visit on the ground but it would not change the level of commitment that I think New Zealand has already demonstrated and will continue to demonstrate.”

In May, New Zealand also deployed its 30 security personnel to the UK to help train the Ukrainian soldiers.

However, the country’s Defense Minister Peeni Henare said that New Zealand’s troops will not enter Ukraine and will conduct training of soldiers in the UK.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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