Ukrainian soldiers arrived on Salisbury Plains on Wednesday, February 1 to begin training with the British, Australian, Canadian, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, New Zealander, Lithuanian, and Dutch militaries.

On Monday, January 16, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced a "combat power package" to support Ukraine that includes the dispersion of a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks, the distribution of guns and £20m worth of uncrewed aerial systems.

James Cleverly and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace will meet with their Australian counterparts as part of discussions held in London, Salisbury and Portsmouth this week.

Australian foreign minister Penny Wong and defence minister Richard Marles, who is also the deputy prime minister, are in Britain for the annual meeting between ministers, which is dubbed “Aukmin”.

Mr Cleverly said: “The UK and Australia are the best of mates and for over a century we have been hard-headed champions of freedom and democracy.

“In an increasingly volatile world, we are pursuing a forward-looking agenda with Australia as a trusted partner and friend.

“Together we are promoting prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific, boosting trade, and pursuing our vital climate targets.”