D. Medvedev: “The entry of British troops into Ukraine is tantamount to a declaration of war on Russia”

Moscow will regard any move by Great Britain to station military forces in Ukraine as a “declaration of war” against Russia, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned in response to the visit of British Prime Minister R. Sunak to Kyiv.

Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, made the remarks in response to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s visit to Kyiv, during which he announced an increase in military funding to help Ukraine acquire new military drones.

“I hope that our eternal enemies, the arrogant British, understand that the deployment of their official military contingent in Ukraine will mean a declaration of war on our country,” – wrote by Medvedev in his message on Telegram. There is currently no evidence that this agreement involves the deployment of British troops in Ukraine.

Medvedev was also asked how Western public opinion would react to Sunak’s delegation coming under cluster munition fire in central Kyiv, as Russian civilians recently experienced in Belgorod.

Belgorod, located in southern Russia near the Ukrainian border, has been under attack from missiles and drones in recent months. The Dec. 30 incident cited by Medvedev killed at least 20 people, including two children, and wounded 11, according to Russia, which called it an “indiscriminate” Ukrainian raid that used cluster munitions.

What is known about this agreement? So far, little is known about security guarantees to Ukraine from Britain, the agreement on which was signed by Sunak and Zelensky. Sunak says the agreement formalizes military cooperation that is already underway. It expands cooperation in the fields of intelligence and cybersecurity, medical and military training, and defense-industrial cooperation.

“If Russia attacks again, we will provide the support that Ukraine needs: modern weapons on the ground, at sea and in the sky, economic support, and we will also introduce sanctions that will have a price for Russia.”“said Sunak. That is, apparently, the agreement does not contain an obligation for Britain to enter the war on the side of Ukraine in case of a new invasion.

Sunak also announced 2.5 billion pounds ($3 billion) in aid. This biggest package from Britain from February 2022. It will include hundreds of thousands of shells, anti-tank weapons, long-range missiles, and training for the Ukrainian military. £200 million will be allocated for new drones, most of which will be produced in Britain itself.

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