UK Government Commits to Continued Military Support for Ukraine amidst Conflict with Russia
During his official bilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the Nato summit in Washington, Prime Minister Keir Starmer reaffirmed the UK's commitment to spending at least 3 billion pounds annually on military aid for Ukraine until at least 2030. This support, amounting to nearly 12 billion pounds since February 2022, includes 7.1 billion for military assistance alongside humanitarian and economic aid. Starmer emphasized Ukraine's path towards Nato membership, while cautious not to provide a specific timetable which could be exploited by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The PM called on Nato allies to enhance defense spending in response to global threats, notably from Russia. Starmer highlighted the frontline defense in the Euro-Atlantic region as Ukraine and stressed the importance of unity in countering Russian aggression. The UK will provide multiyear funding to Kyiv, allowing for strategic defense planning against Russian forces. Despite pressure to accelerate the increase in defense spending, armed forces minister Luke Pollard insisted on growing the economy parallelly to support public services including defense. The government's commitment to reach 2.5% of GDP spending on defense remains steadfast, with confidence in economic growth to support this target. Starmer met with US President Joe Biden at the White House, presenting him with an Arsenal football shirt and a framed copy of the original Atlantic charter. The upcoming strategic defense review is set to be launched next week, aiming to solidify the UK's military plans amidst rising tensions with Russia.
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