Sunak: UK, France to jointly train Ukrainian marines

French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shake hands during a joint news conference at the Elysee Palace on March 10, 2023, in Paris, France. (Kin Cheung - Pool via Getty Images)

The U.K. and France agreed to train Ukrainian marines, "helping to give Ukraine a decisive advantage on the battlefield and for Ukraine to win this war," U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on March 10, as quoted by Sky News. 

Speaking at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Sunak also said that the two countries were working together so that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin could "never again" use the West's energy as a weapon.

According to Macron, cited by Sky News, London and Paris are "doing everything" to prevent Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine from spreading to other parts of the world.

In a joint statement of 9 European nations known as the Tallinn Pledge, the U.K. promised to train 20,000 Ukrainian servicemen in 2023. 

France also provides training for the Ukrainian military, but on a smaller scale, and supports the European Union Military Assistance Mission to Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine).

The EU training mission was launched on Oct. 17, aiming to train up to 30,000 Ukrainian servicemen on EU soil with 24 member states participating.