UK Defense Secretary: training of Ukrainian soldiers to continue regardless of possible ceasefire

This was assured by the UK Secretary of State for Defense,  John Healey, during a brief interview with Ukrinform on his visit to Kyiv on December 18.

"I've made the commitment that the UK will continue to lead INTERFLEX training throughout 2025," Healey stated.

He added: "The need that Ukraine has, if the fighting stops, does not end for training, for military support, for the solidarity and support that the UK working with other allies can provide to your country."

Continuing to train recruits will make Ukraine stronger and better protected in the future, the British Minister believes.

Healey mentioned that part of the discussions he had during his visit with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov were focused on "how we can further strengthen your industry in Ukraine to be a crucial part of your ability to fight now and to defend yourselves with allies in the future."

As reported, Operation Interflex is a training program aimed at new recruits in the Ukrainian Armed Forces with little or no prior military experience.

With the support of 12 partner countries, the UK has trained over 40,000 Ukrainian Defense Forces personnel over the past two years as part of this initiative.

This week, a partner conference on the planning of Ukrainian military training for 2025 took place in the UK.

Representatives of partner countries involved in Operation Interflex discussed the adoption and feasibility of proposed changes, as well as the best ways to train Ukrainian soldiers in 2025. The conference participants concluded that the training of Ukrainian soldiers needs to be improved according to the realities of modern combat.