Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding Operation Orbital in the context of recent aggression from Russia.

Defence has a longstanding relationship with our Ukrainian counterparts, providing support in many areas including security assistance, equipment packages and defence reform. We maintain the right to deliver bilateral support to a sovereign nation when requested, in areas that will better help them defend themselves.

Since 2015, the UK has helped build the resilience and capacity of Ukraine’s defence through Operation ORBITAL. For the moment the operation has fulfilled its current training obligations. The current situation on the borders of Ukraine have made retaining a UK training mission in Ukraine untenable, but the UK remains steadfast in its support to Ukraine.