Russia-Ukraine war live: British foreign minister says he opposes sending western troops to Ukraine

David Cameron says he opposes sending western troops to Ukraine, even for training missions

British foreign minister David Cameron has stated his opposition to sending western troops to Ukraine, even for training missions.

In an interview with German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung published on Saturday, Cameron explained that he believes training missions are most effective when conducted abroad. Additionally, placing foreign soldiers in Ukraine would create potential targets for Russia.

Last month, French president Emmanuel Macron expressed that the possibility of western troops being sent to Ukraine cannot be completely ruled out. The UK later confirmed that it had dispatched small units to Ukraine to assist with medical training. However, a spokesperson for prime minister Rishi Sunak clarified that the country does not foresee large-scale deployments.

On Friday, French defence minister Sebastien Lecornu stated that there are currently no plans to send combat troops, but added that Ukraine’s allies could consider specific training or de-mining missions.

Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski remarked that the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine is not out of the realm of possibility. He commended Macron for not completely dismissing the idea, stating that it is a matter of making Russian President Vladimir Putin fearful, rather than Ukraine being afraid of Putin.

In other news:

• During an interview, Pope Francis encouraged Ukraine to have the courage to negotiate an end to the war with Russia. These comments were made prior to Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan’s recent offer to host a summit between Ukraine and Russia to end the conflict. Pope Francis urged Ukraine not to be ashamed of negotiating before the situation worsens.

• Late on Friday, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan revealed that comprehensive talks had taken place between Turkish and US officials regarding the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as other bilateral matters. Fidan stated that they discussed ways to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, expressing the need for a dialogue to prevent further crises.

• According to Ukrainian authorities, two people, including a teenage boy, were killed in Russian artillery attacks on Saturday. The governor of Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region confirmed that a 16-year-old boy was killed and a 22-year-old man was injured.

• Ukrainian officials reported that a Russian bomb landed near a block of flats in the city of Kherson, injuring a child. A video of the destroyed building, with a large crater outside, was published. A seven-year-old boy is currently under medical supervision.

• The Russian defence ministry announced that Russian air defences had downed a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet over Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Ukrainian authorities, however, have not reported any fighter jet losses in recent days.

• Russian authorities temporarily suspended car traffic over the Crimea Bridge on Saturday, citing the potential threat of attacks. The bridge connects mainland Russia to Crimea, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

• A Moscow court sentenced a student to 10 days in jail for renaming his wifi network with a pro-Kyiv slogan during the military offensive in Ukraine. The student, attending Moscow State University, replaced the name of his wifi router with “Slava Ukraini,” meaning “Glory to Ukraine.” The court found him guilty of a “public demonstration of Nazi symbolics… or symbols of extremist organisations.”

Good morning and welcome to our Ukraine live blog where we will be keeping you up to date with the most recent developments.

Share