British troops are set to take part in a major wargame in Poland, as US President Donald Trump split from allies by refusing to say whether Russia’s President Vladimir Putin started the Ukraine war.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting announced that UK forces will take part in a “major exercise” while making his first visit to the US in the role.
Britain’s troops will join those from France and Germany in a drill which is aimed at ensuring Nato forces are ready to provide Ukraine with security guarantees once the war is over.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting (second from left) warned in Washington that if Moscow’s aggression was rewarded ‘the consequences will not remain confined to Ukraine or to my continent’ (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
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The US president has meanwhile placed himself at loggerheads with the UK and other allies over the conflict by refusing to say President Putin sparked the Ukraine war.
Mr Trump also denied the US was responsible for the disruption to Kyiv’s access to the vital Starlink satellite communications system, leaving the country exposed to attack.
Speaking in Washington DC, Mr Streeting said: “Ukraine is the front line for freedom everywhere, and it’s absolutely vital that they prevail against Putin’s aggression.
“We’re planning for the peace and freedom we want to see through our leadership of the coalition of the willing.
“Next month thousands of personnel will take part in a major exercise in Poland to ensure we are ready to support the military training and post-war rebuilding that Ukraine will need.”
At least 1,500 troops from Britain, France and Germany will take part in the exercise next month, according to The Times, alongside Polish forces.
The wargame will simulate moving troops and supplies such as food and fuel, and was agreed at a coalition of the willing summit in July.
Britain and most other Nato members have been clear in blaming and condemning the Kremlin for the Ukraine conflict, triggered by Mr Putin ordering the invasion of the neighbouring nation in 2022.
But when Mr Trump was asked whether he had forgotten that it was the Russian leader who started the war, he did not respond directly and implied it was not straightforward.
He said: “I know the details, OK, and at some point I’ll release the details.”
President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at Dalton Municipal Airport in Dalton, Georgia (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
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Mr Trump added: “But I don’t care anything except for one. I want that war ended.”
His comments, as he left the White House for a campaign rally in Georgia, came after he again rounded on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he was “not a big fan” and claiming he was “more difficult to deal with than Putin”.
Early on Saturday, Mr Trump signed an executive order which put a hold on a new sanctions package targeting the Russian economy.
The president said the pause was in the national interest of the US.
Mr Trump previously suggested Ukraine needed a new leader and claimed Mr Putin wanted a peace deal more.
Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky, attending a summit in Brussels on Friday, signalled that he agreed with the suggestion he was being made a scapegoat by Mr Trump for soaring fuel prices driven by the Iran war, which was launched by the US and Israel in February.
Ahead of crucial stateside elections next month, the US president has increasingly sought to lay the blame on attacks by Ukraine on Russian refineries for the spike in energy costs, rather than the interruption to oil supplies in the Middle East through the Strait of Hormuz waterway.
During a visit to London earlier this week, Mr Zelensky had accused Mr Trump of betraying his country by limiting its use of US-made Starlink terminals which are vital for the Ukrainian military.
But speaking on Friday, the US president said: “We didn’t do that. We didn’t slow it down at all.”
The latest strain in relations came after Mr Trump struck a deal to buy Russian diesel, which critics at home and abroad warn will be used to fund Mr Putin’s war machine.