British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on November 19, 2022 CREDIT: Ukrainian Presidency via Getty Images
Rishi Sunak will make a surprise visit to Ukraine today to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky after unveiling a £2.5bn military aid package for Ukraine.
The Prime Minister pledged to stand with Ukraine in its “darkest hour” after Mr Zelensky urged western nations to maintain support as the war drags towards its second anniversary.
Britain will provide £2.5bn 2024-25, an increase of £200m from the previous two years, supplying drones, long-range missiles, air defences and artillery shells.
Their security is our security’: Rishi Sunak’s remarks in full
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:
“For two years, Ukraine has fought with great courage to repel a brutal Russian invasion.
“They are still fighting, unfaltering in their determination to defend their country and defend the principles of freedom and democracy.
“I am here today with one message: the UK will also not falter. We will stand with Ukraine, in their darkest hours and in the better times to come.
“The UK is already one of Ukraine’s closest partners, because we recognise their security is our security.
“Today we are going further – increasing our military aid, delivering thousands of cutting-edge drones, and signing a historic new Security Agreement to provide Ukraine with the assurances it needs for the long term.”
What is being provided by the multi-billion aid package?
Some £200m of the aid package is being spent on providing thousands of drones – the “largest delivery of drones to Ukraine from any nation”, according to a government statement.
This will include surveillance, long-range strike and sea drones, which will predominantly be manufactured in the UK.
“The technology will give Ukraine cutting edge, battle-tested capabilities to defend their citizens and target the invading Russian forces on land and sea,” the statement continues.
The rest of the package will be made up of long-range missiles, air defences – something Kyiv has been appealing for amid Russian airstrikes – artillery ammunition and “maritime security”.
Kyiv is in ‘acute’ need of US support, says White House
Ukraine desperately needs US funding as Russia ramps up its attacks and bombards regions with North Korean missiles, the White House has said.
John Kirby, the White House national security council coordinator, told reporters: “It’s critical that Congress move on that national security supplemental request and we get more funding.
“The assistance that we provided has now ground to a halt. The attacks that the Russians are conducting are only increasing.
“And now, as I talked about earlier this week, they’re using North Korean ballistic missiles to do their dirty work. So the need is acute right now, particularly in these winter months.”
British support ‘will give Ukrainians certainty’
James Heappey, the armed forces minister, has said there will be “no loss in patience” among Ukraine’s allies as he was questioned why the Government had not provided a longrunning support package.
Ministers and senior military figures are reported to have urged the Government to commit to a military aid running over several years. The £2.5bn in support announced today will provide Kyiv with air defences, artillery shells and drones for the next year.
Mr Heappey told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There is £2.5 billion that effectively is the funding for tactical activity in this next year, follows £2.3 billion last year and the £2.3 billion the year before.
“These capability coalitions, there are a number of them led by different countries, but the ones that the UK are leading is principally in the maritime domain.
“They are exactly the multi-year capability development programmes that give the Ukrainians that certainty around the development of their capabilities over the arc of a decade, and equally importantly, give [Vladimir] Putin the certainty that there is no loss in patience and commitment from their [Ukraine’s] Western supporters.”
Ukraine package is ‘vital support to fight Putin’s invasion’
John Healey has backed the Government’s military aid package and pledged there would be “no change in Britain’s resolve to stand with Ukraine” if Labour took office.
The shadow defence secretary wrote on Twitter:
‘Favourable terrain for mechanised manoeuvre warfare’ as ground freezes
Freezing conditions across the frontline as the Ukrainian winter takes hold will create “favourable terrain” as Russia attempts to gain ground near Kupyansk, a think tank has said.
The Institute for the Study of War cites Ukrainian officials who say Moscow is concentrating armoured units around the Kharkiv settlement, including the 47th and 4th Tank Divisions.
“Freezing temperatures in Ukraine are likely constraining operations along the front but will likely create more favorable terrain for mechanised manoeuvre warfare as the ground freezes in the coming weeks,” it said.
EU to bend to Orban demands to secure support package
The EU is preparing to bow to some of Viktor Orban’s demands to secure a €50bn support package for Ukraine, according to reports.
The Hungarian prime minister vetoed the military aid package on November, depriving Kyiv of key supplies amid a stalemate in the US Congress that has seen Washington’s support dry.
In a bid to convince him to drop his opposition, the European Commission is open to giving Mr Orban an opportunity to stop the four-year deal in 2025, three officials told the Financial Times.
‘An unshakeable hundred-year partnership’: What else has been agreed?
Rishi Sunak will sign a security agreement later today guaranteeing will provide “swift and sustained” support from Britain if Russia attempts another invasion.
It will also set out the intelligence sharing, cyber security, medical and military training that the UK will provide for Ukraine, along with cooperation between their defence industries.
The agreement is the result of last year’s Nato summit in Vilnius, and the “first step in developing an unshakeable hundred-year partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom”.
This article has been swamped with kremtrolls. The SP troll farm hasn’t yet arrived, but magaputler and faragista dreck are doing their shit-smelling job.
However, here are some nice comments from DT readers:
Daria Partas:
“Disheartened to see some people saying that this is being done at the expense of the British people struggling with the cost of living. This is manipulation or genuine misunderstanding of the mechanics of aid. The way it works is this money is being invested by the Government in the UK defense tech companies whose products then are being sent over to Ukraine to help the fight. Essentially, this ‘aid’ is boosting UK defense sector and paying salaries to the British people working in the industry.”
Gary Mangrove:
“I – like everyone sane, is desperate for Putin to lose, but I can’t see how that can happen with Putin willing to expend so many hundreds of thousands of men without limit. I hope there is no awful peace settlement where Ukraine loses so much territory but I don’t think they can “win” on the battlefield. The only hope imo is for Putin to be deposed at home. Even then the new leader will hardly just withdraw, it would be too domestically unpopular in Russia after so many deaths. Who knows what will happen. The only thing we know are Putin and Zelensky’s places in history.”
Matthew Adkins:
“Amazing news, well done us!!! Freedom and Democracy must be fought for or tyrants like Putin will take it away.”
Bad looking rooster :
“STILL fighting because to date Europe has not stepped up to the degree they should have. Every day possibly 100 Ukrainians die repelling the Russkie zombies.”
J. Finnemore
“Desperation clearly evident from those dismayed at the prospect of increased Western military support for Kyiv.
Unsurprising really, the Kremlin’s special military operation is in complete disarray.”
Excellent comment from Daria Partas.
Ukraine Aid provides employment for skilled workers in the U.K. defence industry, plus ancillary workers.
That same argument was also made to the magaputler scrotes, but their reply was :
“So what? We’re not gonna help Ukraine.”
It will be better all round if Rishi can pull something out of the bag and win this year’s election.
However, there is the consolation for Ukraine that Labour will continue the military support.
Unfortunately Starmer has a tankie bloc in his party that will be shit-stirring for putler.
That little package will certainly help the home team to smoke some fucking orcs.
But MUCH more is needed.
…and meanwhile at the Capitol:
“Johnson is seeking to scuttle the new Ukraine funding by linking it to immigration provisions he knows Democrats will reject. That strategy would not only allow the Speaker to avoid a ferocious internal fight, but also provide him the political advantage of blaming the impasse on Democrats. The Republicans are throwing the Ukrainians to the dogs,”
It is clear that we are entering a dark page in history. The new demands, the changes of course in the middle of the negotiations have never stopped. Legislative terrorists who appear to represent a House of their own will achieve their goal: derail aid funding for Ukraine.
The lightness of the declarations of certain elected officials on the subject of aid to Ukraine are absolutely immature and frivolous. They’re going to have a lot of Ukrainian blood on their hands.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4404265-democrats-reject-johnsons-border-demands-as-part-of-ukraine-aid-package/
History will record that in 1950, McCarthy tried to eliminate the communist threat and that in 2023, McCarthy was ousted by a group of Soviet sympathizers sitting in the House… The new model of these legislative terrorists is simple: blackmail, threats and rejection of all democratic reality.
As a reminder to these assholes: they are in the minority in their party, the GOP has a slim majority in one chamber and the president is a Democrat. Can we have some respect for the choice of voters and the weight of elected officials at a given moment, or is the Capitol only home to carpet merchants?
MTG flat-out said, “No more funding for Ukraine.”
I’m afraid that some here fall for the false narrative that it’s related to border security. But I think it’s clear that, as the article suggests, “Johnson is seeking to scuttle the new Ukraine funding by linking it to immigration provisions he knows Democrats will reject.”
Not all Republicans are “magaputler shitheads”, but the ones who are are the ones driving the clown car.
I must say, hats off for Sunak, I think he is doing a great job, especially considering how unstable his party currently is.
^bert