UK promises Ukraine more arms, “long-term” support, Sunak tells Zelensky

Natalie Portman
By Natalie Portman 3 Min Read

The UK is seeking to provide more equipment to “ensure Ukraine’s victory on the battlefield” and Kiev can count on Britain’s “long-term” support, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Volodymyr Zelensky in a Tuesday call. phone call.

Sunak spoke to Zelensky on Tuesday evening, with a read aloud of the discussion provided by Downing Street revealing that the pair have discussed the hike Russian drone strikes before the UK leader pledged more support, already measured in the billions, for Ukraine this year.

According to Downing Street, Sunak said “Ukraine can count on the UK to continue supporting it for the long term”, citing the recent delivery of 1,000 air defense missiles to Ukraine.

The missiles come on top of months of other deliveries of military equipment, with the Anglo-Swedish NLAW missiles London supplied in large numbers early in the war, generating particularly notable headlines for its high-profile successes against Russian armour.

More recently, the UK has sent electricity generation equipment in the wake of Russia’s bombing of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, plus 15,000 sets of cold-weather uniforms for troops.

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File/Rishi Sunak examines an NLAW anti-tank launcher, similar to those supplied by the UK to Ukraine, during a visit to the Thales Defense System Facility August 17, 2022 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Paul Faith – Pool/Getty Images)

The UK also sent armored vehicles.

Early 2022 UK started train Ukrainian soldiers in the UK itselfin many cases using modern military equipment the country was donating to the Ukrainian government.

According to the MoD, the UK has given £2.3 billion of military aid to Ukraine so far, more than any country other than the United States. The outcome of Sunak and Zelensky’s call strongly suggests that much more will follow.

Downing Street further noted that the UK will “provide further equipment in the coming weeks and months to ensure Ukraine’s victory on the battlefield.

Responding to the meeting, Zelensky She said of Sunak: “we discussed further cooperation on defense. We have agreed to step up our efforts to get closer to victory already this year. We already have concrete decisions for this.”

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