Russia demands UK stop training Ukrainian troops as Putin aide issues ultimatum
Moscow has claimed Britain is directly complicit in the conflict due to it training programme.
Russia has issued a stark ultimatum to the UK to stop all military training and arms supplies to Ukraine or the war will not end.
Rodion Miroshnik, a senior envoy in Vladimir Putin's foreign ministry, said that continued Western support — including the UK's long-running Operation Interflex — amounts to direct involvement in the conflict.
Moscow insists the programme, which has trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers on British soil, must be shut down, reports the Mirror.
'The participation or complicity of other countries is a key issue that must be stopped in all forms — including weapons deliveries and the training of Ukrainian militants,' Miroshnik told pro-Kremlin outlet Izvestia. 'Halting these programmes would be a signal of willingness to seek a resolution.'
The warning came as Ukraine suffered its heaviest aerial bombardment of the war so far, with 537 Russian strikes recorded over the weekend. One of the attacks saw the downing of an F-16 fighter jet, killing pilot Lt-Col Maksym Ustymenko.
President Volodymyr Zelensky posthumously awarded him the Hero of Ukraine honour, calling him 'one of our very best'.
Zelensky last week joined UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to inspect Ukrainian troops in Britain, reinforcing the strong defence partnership between the two nations. That show of unity has drawn anger in Moscow.
Russian officials doubled down on their claims that Western aid, including training and weapons, prolongs the war and escalates hostilities. Konstantin Kosachev, deputy speaker of Russia's upper house, said: 'Any aid that helps Ukraine continue fighting or preparing terrorist operations clearly does not promote conflict resolution. It is unequivocally hostile to Russia.'
He added: 'This is a clear campaign against everything Russian — a full display of militarism. Ukrainians no longer have agency. They are being used as tools for NATO's strategic aims.'
Oleg Karpovich, vice-rector of Moscow's Diplomatic Academy, went further — accusing Britain of having a hand in the deaths of Russian troops. 'In practice, they are participating in the killing of our citizens while coordinating terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime,' he claimed.
Despite Russia's call for an end to military aid to Ukraine, it maintains its own heavy military operations — insisting its aim remains the 'demilitarisation' of Ukraine.
The Kremlin's demands came just as signs emerged that former US President Donald Trump — long accused of being soft on Putin — may be shifting his stance. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham revealed that Trump had given the green light for a tough sanctions bill targeting Russia's economy.
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'For the first time yesterday the president told me... 'it's time to move your bill',' Graham told ABC News. The legislation would slap a 500% tariff on goods from countries that buy Russian energy but do not support Ukraine — a direct swipe at China and India, who currently buy the lion's share of Putin's oil exports.
Graham said the bill is designed to 'crush' Russia's war machine by cutting off its funding. Whether Trump follows through remains to be seen — but Moscow's threats and Washington's shift mark a new flashpoint in the drawn-out war.
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