British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Tuesday that his country will increase its defense spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product by the end of the decade.
Sunak made the announcement during his visit to Warsaw, the capital of Poland. He also promised to send more weapons to Ukraine.
He said his government was taking Britain’s defense industry to ‘warfare’ and described it as ‘the strongest our national defense has been in this generation’.
Standing next to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at Wars, Sunak told reporters, ‘The world is now in the most dangerous situation since the Cold War, we cannot be complacent. As our adversaries form alliances we must do more to defend our country, our interests and our values’.
The announcement comes ahead of Britain pledging an additional $620 million in new military supplies for Ukraine. These supplies include long-range missiles and 4 million rounds of ammunition. It comes at a time when Ukraine is struggling to hold its own against advancing Russian forces on the eastern front of the Ukraine war.
Sunak spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to confirm this cooperation and ‘assured him of prompt cooperation in the defense of Ukraine against Russia’s brutal and expansionist ambitions’.
Ahead of the visit, the British government announced that Sunak would provide £500 million ($620 million, 580 million euros) worth of new military supplies, including 400 vehicles, 60 boats, 100 weapons and 4 million rounds of ammunition. The supply will include the British Storm Shadow long-range missile, which can travel up to 150 miles and has been proven capable of hitting Russian targets.
“President Zelensky thanked the Prime Minister for Britain’s continued cooperation, saying the new military aid would be very positive for ordinary Ukrainians fighting at the border to protect their country,” Downing Street reported.
But Downing Street gave no indication whether the aid would be sent immediately. Zelensky appealed for more international aid, saying that without it his country would lose the war.
Source: Voice of America
