The UK will send 6,000 more missiles and $33 million to Ukraine to support their fight against Russia.
UK Prime minister Boris Johnson will announce on Thursday that his country will provide 6,000 additional missiles to Ukraine as Russia’s ongoing war has completed a month. It consists of anti-tank and high explosive weapons, and $33 million in financial backing for the Ukrainian military.
This more than doubles the defensive lethal aid provided to date to more than 10,000 missiles and comes on top of the $528 million the UK has committed in humanitarian and economic aid for the crisis. Johnson urged Western allies to “keep the flame of freedom alive” in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister travels to Brussels on Thursday for talks with fellow NATO and G7 leaders on the situation a month on from the Russian invasion. PM Johnson warned freedom is risked being “snuffed out across Europe and the world” as Russian troops intensify their assault.
He is expected to urge NATO allies to continue arming Ukrainian forces when he attends a crunch summit at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.
The meeting, which will be addressed remotely by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, is expected to sign off on the formation of four new battlegroups in eastern Europe.
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO secretary-general, said the battlegroups each numbering between 1,000 and 1,500 troops would be deployed in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria.
The alliance already has 40,000 troops in Europe under its direct command, nearly 10 times the number it had a few months ago. Mr. Stoltenberg told a news conference on Wednesday that the forces will remain in place as long as necessary.
Mr. Stoltenberg said: “This is a significant reinforcement of our presence in the east with air, sea, and land forces. We are there to protect and defend allies, ready to respond massively to any potential threat or attack against any NATO-allied country.”
Mr. Johnson said he expected leaders would agree on additional support for Ukraine, including cybersecurity assistance and equipment to help protect against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats.
They are also expected to address the role of China, amid concerns that Beijing has been supporting Russia’s disinformation efforts and could be preparing to supply military equipment.
Mr. Johnson said: “Vladimir Putin is already failing in Ukraine. The Ukrainian people have shown themselves to be extraordinarily brave and tenacious in defending their homeland in the face of an unprovoked onslaught.”
“But we cannot and will not stand by while Russia grinds Ukraine’s towns and cities into dust. The United Kingdom will work with our allies to step up military and economic support to Ukraine, strengthening their defenses as they turn the tide in this fight,” he added.
Dominic Raab, Justice Secretary, will chair a meeting of justice and foreign ministers in The Hague on Thursday to coordinate support for the ICC’s war crimes investigations.
He is expected to announce an additional $1,300,000 in funding for the court, as well as new support from UK soldiers with expertise in intelligence gathering and Scotland Yard’s War Crimes Team.
Mr. Raab said: “President Putin and his commanders should know that they will be held to account for their actions, and risk ending up spending the rest of their days behind bars.”