The new Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom called on British defense companies to open factories in Ukraine and stated that the country will strengthen the training program for Ukrainian soldiers.

UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps mentioned this in an interview with The Telegraph.

After the trip to Kyiv, Shapps shared that he discussed with Volodymyr Zelensky the possibility of engaging the UK Navy to protect commercial ships from Russian attacks in the Black Sea.

In addition, he stated that Britain is looking for ways to help Ukraine “prepare” for NATO membership.

The British Secretary for Defense discussed the deployment of training camps in Ukraine in a briefing with General Patrick Sanders, Chief of the General Staff, and other senior officials in Salisbury Plain.

“I was talking today about eventually getting the training brought closer and actually into Ukraine as well,” Mr Shapps said.

He added that there is an opportunity to transfer many “things” to Ukraine, especially to the western part. As an example, Shapps cited the British company BAE.

“I’m keen to see other British companies do their bit as well by doing the same thing. So I think there will be a move to get more training and production in the country,” Shapps added.

The British Secretary for Defense stressed the problem of protecting freedom of navigation in the Black Sea.

“It’s important that we don’t allow a situation to establish by default that somehow international shipping isn’t allowed in that water. So I think there’s a lot of places where Britain can help advise,” Shapps stated.

In early September, it was reported that aircraft of the Royal Air Force are protecting cargo ships carrying grain from Ukraine from Russian attacks.

The Telegraph notes that the statements of the Secretary for Defense seem to mark a change in the government’s approach to publicly discussing the strengthening of the military presence in Ukraine.

France took the same move when the French military reported that its planes were making observations over the Black Sea.