February 8, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Two hundred Ukrainian troops are currently being trained in the United Kingdom by Australian soldiers, according to the Australian Department of Defence. 

Seventy Australian soldiers were deployed to the UK to begin taking part in a UK-led and based training program for Ukrainian recruits, which the Australian Department of Defence refers to as “Operation Kudu.”  

According to the department, the Ukrainian recruits first received an initial week of foundational training from the Irish Guards 1st Battalion.

The Australian soldiers, mostly from the Royal Australian Regiment’s 5th Battalion, will conduct the remainder of the training.  

The officer commanding the Australian contingent, Maj. Greg Sargeant said, “it’s our responsibility that, regardless of background, all the recruits in our company come out with the same basic military tactics and skills to adequately defend themselves, their mates and their sovereignty.” 

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced that Australian soldiers were joining the UK-led and based training program during a statement to the British parliament in January. Wallace said the program was already supported by Canada, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, Norway, New Zealand and the Netherlands.

He also said that they are aiming to increase efforts to train a further 20,000 Ukrainian troops in 2023. 

Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the first Challenger 2 battle tanks will arrive in Ukraine "next month."

Speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Dorset, England, on Wednesday, Sunak said that “the challenge of tanks are going to be on the battlefield,” adding that “Ukrainian soldiers are being trained on them as fast as we can.” 

Britain has pledged to send 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. In late January, British Defence Procurement Minister Alex Chalk said the UK was aiming to complete those deliveries by the end of March. 

Two Ukrainian civilians were killed on Wednesday in a missile strike near the town of Semenivka in the northern Chernihiv region, according to Ukraine's Operational Command North. 

The air missile hit an industrial building in the area near Semenivka, killing two people and injuring several more, the Operational Command North said in a social media post. 

Ukraine's Operational Command North released photos of the aftermath of the strike, which show rescuers working to find people trapped under the rubble. 

The Russian embassy in London warned the United Kingdom against providing Ukraine with fighter jets, saying that such a move would have “military and political ramifications” for the whole world, Russian state media RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday.

What the UK is saying: Earlier Britain’s PA media reported that the UK is "actively" considering whether to send British jets to Ukraine, citing the British prime minister's official spokesperson.

"We've confirmed there will be a training program for Ukrainian pilots and the Defence Secretary is actively looking at whether we send jets," the spokesperson said.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said “when it comes to the provision of military assistance to Ukraine, nothing is off the table” when asked whether the UK will provide fighter jets to Ukraine.

Sunak said, “when it comes to fighter combat aircrafts, of course they are part of the conversation," adding that he had discussed the topic with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday. The two leaders were visiting a British military facility where Ukrainian troops were being trained on Challenger 2 tanks. 

CNN's Jessie Gretener contributed reporting to this post.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a news conference at a British military facility that his battlefield priorities are for Ukraine to obtain more armored vehicles, longer-range missiles and fighter jets.

"We have no way out. We have to stand firm. We need armored vehicles, we need tanks, we need fighter jets, and obviously, we spent a lot of time talking about this together," said Zelensky, speaking alongside British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Lulworth Camp in Dorset, England. 

The Ukrainian president also confirmed he will meet with European Union leaders on Wednesday night and Thursday. 

"When we talk about the battlefield, what are our priorities — of course, armored vehicles. We know our enemy has got thousands of units of armored vehicles, back from the Soviet Union heritage," Zelensky added. 

"And of course, NATO armored vehicles are the best, and yet there are only a few of them. When you only have 10 NATO armored vehicles against a thousand Soviet armored vehicles — well, what are the chances?" he said. 

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Ukraine “cannot be left vulnerable for attack ever again,” in his opening remarks at a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday. 

Sunak said, “we must arm Ukraine in the short term but bolster Ukraine in the long term,” while speaking in front of a Challenger 2 battle tank in Dorset. 

He said Ukrainian crews, who arrived in the UK last week, will be learning how to use Challenger 2 tanks “to defend Ukraine’s sovereign territory next month.” He also said the UK has agreed to expand its training program, which Sunak says has trained 10,000 troops in the last six months. 

Sunak also said the UK will be “accelerating the delivery of our equipment” to ensure reaches Ukraine’s frontline in the coming “days and weeks, not years.” 

President Zelensky thanked Sunak and the British people for standing with Ukraine during the press conference.

"Today it is very clear that we are standing together with Great Britain," Zelensky said. "Thank you to all the people in Great Britain, thank you for these 350 days of unity."

Before speaking, Zelensky and Sunak met with Ukrainian troops being trained in Dorset on Challenger 2 tanks. 

Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said he spoke to his Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra on Wednesday "to coordinate our international steps as Russia's full-scale invasion nears its one-year mark."

Kuleba said in a tweet that he raised the issue of Ukraine's request for F-16 fighter jets. 

Some background: Top Ukrainian officials have been escalating their public lobbying campaign for F-16 fighter jets, arguing they need them urgently to defend against Russian missile and drone attacks.

US and European officials have similarly told CNN and said publicly that the F-16 fighter jets are impractical, and note that Ukraine has not been conducting many air missions with the fighter planes it already has because of the danger posed by Russia’s anti-aircraft systems, officials previously told CNN.

But most recently, the United Kingdom is "actively" considering whether to send British jets to Ukraine, the prime minister's official spokesperson said on Wednesday, according to the UK's PA Media news agency. No decision has been made yet, the agency said.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will have a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels on Thursday, the prime minister’s office told CNN on Thursday. 

Meloni will be in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday to participate in an “extraordinary meeting of the European Council,” according to the official website of the Italian government.

Zelensky made a surprise visit to the UK on Wednesday, and later today, he is expected to travel to Paris to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived at Lulworth Camp, a British military facility in Dorset, England. 

Zelensky and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with Ukrainian troops being trained on Challenger 2 tanks. 

At a news conference during the visit, Zelensky thanked Sunak and the British people "for these 350 days of unity" and for standing with Ukraine.

Sunak pledged continued support to Ukraine, saying Zelensky's visit "underlines our two countries’ close and enduring friendship – we will always be by your side, our staunch and unwavering friends," the prime minister said in opening remarks at the news conference.