British Defense Minister: We Treat The Ukrainian Army In A Western Way And Use A Little Bit Of Fun

Ukrainian military illustration. (Source: President.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - Britain is training Ukrainian soldiers to fight in Western ways and use less ammunition, than the traditional Soviet Union's fighting methods, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Wednesday.

Britain and other Western allies are known to have trained Ukrainian troops, providing weapons and ammunition to support Kyiv in his fighting with Russia.

"Ukraine used large amounts of ammunition to defend itself, in part that's why we trained them to fight in the Western way," Minister Wallace told Times Radio, as reported by Reuters on February 15.

Minister Wallace said Britain had purchased "the standard of the Soviet Union" ammunition while also assisting Ukraine's military conversion to open "access to our ammunition stock".

"At the same time we are training to ensure it is used in a very productive and accurate way," said Minister Wallace.

"The way the Russian or Soviet battles were very wasteful of ammunition, a massive series of artillery, and we never did that to organize ourselves to fight in NATO," he said.

Asked if Western allies should also supply jets to Ukraine, Minister Wallace said the use of fighter jets required long training for pilots and substantial support crews.

Minister Wallace said Britain could provide faster support through weapons supplies such as anti-aircraft missiles.

"I think we can help Ukraine faster by having the effects they need on the battlefield, rather than platform-specific demand," he told Sky News.