CAIRO, August 11. /TASS/. The United Kingdom is playing a significant role in the Ukrainian conflict, demonstrating a "hawkish" attitude, Russian Ambassador to Great Britain Andrey Kelin said in an interview with the Al Qahera Egyptian television channel.

"The UK, together with the US, began turning Ukraine into what's often referred to as an "anti-Russia" entity much earlier. This began quite some time before 2014, even before the Ukrainian Maidan (the term "Maidan" was coined after Kiev’s central Independence Square, or Maidan Nezalezhnosti, to refer to anti-government riots - TASS) Revolution took place. The UK initiated the training and military preparation of Ukrainian personnel with operation Orbital. Subsequently, the training continued within the territory of the United Kingdom. The UK plays a significant role among European nations in this regard," he said.

According to the Russian diplomat, Britain’s assistance, however, "is incomparable to that of the United States in terms of financial resources." "Despite this, the UK strives to be at the forefront of organizing campaigns to continue arming Ukraine. This was the case with tanks, for instance. The UK, in order to lead other countries, was the first to declare its intention to supply Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. Incidentally, these tanks have yet to participate in any military operation, and their current whereabouts are unknown to me. Nevertheless, UK’s negative role undoubtedly affects the entire conflict. They are what we might call "hawkish," and they have played a significant part in perpetuating the conflict," he said.

"There are no peace initiatives being considered or desired in London," he added.