The British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, made a trip to Kyiv last Friday to announce an increase in military funding to assist Ukraine in purchasing new military drones, including surveillance, long-range strike, and sea drones. This visit is a demonstration of London’s unwavering support for Kyiv since Russia’s invasion. Sunak revealed that Britain would boost its support in the next financial year to 2.5 billion pounds, which marks a 200 million pound increase from the previous two years.
Britain has pledged to provide the largest delivery of drones to Ukraine from any nation, with a majority of them expected to be manufactured in Britain. The government statement announced that the Ministry of Defence will collaborate with international partners to significantly increase the number of drones provided for Ukraine’s defence.
In addition to the increased military funding, Sunak’s office stated that the two countries would sign a historic UK-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation. This agreement is a continuation of the Group of Seven nations’ commitment to provide bilateral security assurances to Ukraine. It formalizes a range of support that the UK has provided for Ukraine’s security, including intelligence sharing, cyber security, medical and military training, and defence industrial cooperation.
Sunak emphasized that Ukraine has been fighting for the principles of freedom and democracy for two years, and he delivered a message of solidarity, stating, “the UK will also not falter. We will stand with Ukraine, in their darkest hours and in the better times to come.”
($1 = 0.7830 pounds)
(Reporting by Sarah Young and Kate Holton; editing by William James)
