Britain to help train Ukrainian army to counter Russian threat -...

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Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday Britain would deploy military personnel to Ukraine in the next month to help train the Ukrainian army, warning that Moscow would move to destabilize other countries if left unchallenged.

"Over the course of the next month we're going to be deploying British service personnel to provide advice and a range of training, to tactical intelligence to logistics, to medical care," Cameron told a committee of lawmakers in parliament.

"We'll also be developing an infantry training program with Ukraine to improve the durability of their forces."

Also on Tuesday, Ukraine's president said his country has signed an agreement to cooperate with the United Arab Emirates on military and technical issues as he kicked off a visit to the Western-allied Gulf nation.

Petro Poroshenko did not provide details about the memorandum signed on Tuesday. He spoke during a visit to the International Defense Exhibition in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi.

IDEX is the Middle East's largest arms bazaar, bringing together defense companies and government and military officials from around the world.

Poroshenko said he hopes Ukraine can soon obtain additional "defensive weapons" to help defend the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Earlier in the day, pro-Russia separatists said they had begun pulling heavy weapons from the front line in east Ukraine under a ceasefire deal, but Ukraine said the rebels were using the cover of the truce to reinforce for another advance.

Fighting has eased in eastern Ukraine in recent days, raising hope that a ceasefire due to start on Feb. 15 can finally take effect after the rebels initially ignored it to storm a government-held town last week.

Since taking the railway hub of Debaltseve in one of the worst defeats for Kiev of the war, the Moscow-backed rebels have indicated they want the truce to take effect. But Kiev says the rebels are still shooting, which the rebels deny.

Western countries have not given up on the ceasefire deal to end fighting that has killed more than 5,600 people, but have made clear they are suspicious of the rebels and their presumed patron, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

REUTERS/AP