Liz Truss is committing to spend no less than £2.3 billion subsequent yr on army support to assist Ukraine fend off Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
The Prime Minister pledged the UK will match or exceed the document help given to Volodymyr Zelensky’s “inspirational” troops.
Ms Truss introduced the help as she ready to fly to New York, the place she’s going to use a United Nations summit within the US to rally help in serving to Ukraine battle Russia.
She can even attempt to rally world leaders to finish vitality dependence on Mr Putin’s gasoline as he turns the faucets off on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Ukraine’s victories in latest weeks have been inspirational
“By turning off the faucets of the Nord Stream gasoline pipeline, Putin has consigned thousands and thousands of individuals in Europe to a colder and harder winter,” the Prime Minister mentioned earlier than departing for the US.
“Too many lives – in Ukraine, in Europe and world wide – are being manipulated by a dependence on Russian vitality. We have to work collectively to finish this as soon as and for all.”
Ms Truss praised the success of Mr Zelensky’s troops in seizing again round 3,000 sq. kilometres that had been captured by the Russians as she pledged to no less than match final yr’s army support.
“Ukraine’s victories in latest weeks have been inspirational. Time and time once more these courageous folks have defied the doubters and confirmed what they’ll do when given the army, financial and political help they want,” she mentioned.
“My message to the folks of Ukraine is that this: the UK will proceed to be proper behind you each step of the way in which. Your safety is our safety.”
The spending dedication was not primarily based on the true phrases determine taking inflation under consideration, however Ms Truss was not ruling out spending extra.
In 2022, Britain was second solely to the US when it comes to army support despatched to Ukraine.
Ms Truss’s official spokesman mentioned she’s going to warn allies on the New York summit that now will not be the time to “take our foot off the gasoline” in opposing Mr Putin’s warfare.
“Fairly the other, she can be very clear that UK help to Ukraine is not going to falter,” he added.
“We’ll proceed to behave to revive sovereignty and self willpower to Ukraine. As a result of this isn’t simply Ukraine’s battle, the entire world suffers when a regime like Putin’s is allowed to bully and blackmail its neighbours.”
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