Britain to provide Ukraine portable missiles, anti-tank arms

London: Britain informed that it is planning to send more portable missile systems to the Ukraine army to assist the latter's attacks on Russian tanks and aircraft. However, it had denied that it was fuelling the lethal conflict, Agence France-Presse reported.

"I want to assure the House (of Commons) that everything we do is bound by the decisions to supply defensive systems and are calibrated not to escalate to a strategic level," British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said.

He said that the United Kingdom had provided 3,615 Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapons (NLAWs) to date and continue delivering more. He told the British Parliament that the government is planning to give Ukraine a small consignment of anti-tank Javelin missiles too

He said that as per requests from Ukraine, the government might donate the Starstreak high-velocity man-portable anti-air missiles. Starstreaks are mobile systems against helicopters and planes and were manned by troops in the field. It would remain within defensive weapons and enable Ukraine forces to defend the skies, the minister said.

Further, Wallace said it would increase ration supplies, medical equipment and other "non-lethal military aid.

Britain had sent military trainers to Ukraine, before Russia initiated invasion, to train their forces on anti-tank weapons.

It had deployed 800 troops in Estonia to support NATO's eastern side. A 1,000 is on standby if the humanitarian crisis increase in Ukraine's neighbours. But it has declined to impose a no-fly zone since Russian declared that such a move would lead to a fully-fledged war.