Rishi Sunak announces £500m military aid package to Ukraine
The UK government will also provide Ukraine with its largest munitions package since the war against Russia started in February 2022.
Monday 22 April 2024 23:04, UK
Rishi Sunak is to announce a £500m military aid package to Ukraine in its war against Russia alongside the UK's largest provision of munitions so far.
Some 400 vehicles, 60 boats, 1,600 strike and air defence missiles, and four million rounds of ammunition are included in the package.
The announcement comes during a downswing for Ukraine as Russian forces have been gaining the upper hand in recent weeks.
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Moscow took the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka on 17 February and has been progressing ever since, occupying other villages.
Last month, Russia launched an airstrike into Ukraine's western region of Lviv, near Poland's border, which saw one cruise missile briefly fly into Polish airspace, according to Warsaw.
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Tap hereThe prime minister will travel to Poland on Tuesday to make the announcement, which takes the UK to £3bn in military aid to Ukraine this financial year.
Mr Sunak said: "Defending Ukraine against Russia's brutal ambitions is vital for our security and for all of Europe. If Putin is allowed to succeed in this war of aggression, he will not stop at the Polish border.
"Ukraine's armed forces continue to fight bravely, but they need our support - and they need it now."
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps reiterated the UK was "the first" to provide NLAW anti-tank missiles, modern tanks and long-range missiles to Ukraine.
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The crisis in the Middle East has also turned global attention away from the conflict in Ukraine, as Israel continues to bombard Gaza.
However, in a major win for Ukraine, a $60.8bn (£49bn) bill was passed by the US House of Representatives to which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his thanks saying American lawmakers moved to keep "history on the right track".
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During his visit, Mr Sunak will also meet with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk before heading to Germany to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The government will offer to deploy an RAF Typhoon Squadron to carry out NATO monitoring over Poland next year with the aim of strengthening the two country's ties.