Today, Rishi Sunak will urge Western allies to be calm in the face of Vladimir Putin’s aggressiveness and “double down” on their military assistance for Ukraine.
In the lead-up to the anniversary of Russia’s invasion, the prime minister will make the call to arms at a global security conference.
He will emphasize that because of the “broader danger to all we believe in,” maintaining Kyiv’s war effort affects “every country,” not only Ukraine’s security and sovereignty.
He will emphasize the £2.3 billion Britain has contributed to the conflict, which includes combat tanks, cutting-edge air defense systems, military training, and longer-range missiles.
He will caution that it will be necessary to equal the degree of assistance provided to Ukraine by the international community last year within a matter of weeks rather than months.
Moreover, he would advocate for a new Nato charter to defend Ukraine from Russian aggression in the future, ensuring continued assistance.
He is anticipated to address the conference in Germany by saying, “Now is the time to step up our military support.”
“Putin bet that our commitment would waver when he initiated this conflict. He is already banking that we will lose our composure.
But we disproved him then, and we’ll disprove him today. To increase Ukraine’s long-term security, more has to be done.
We must provide them with the cutting-edge, NATO-standard capabilities they’ll need in the future.
The security and sovereignty of one country are not all that is at risk in this conflict, he will continue. Every country’s security and sovereignty are at stake.
Russia’s invasion, its heinous war crimes, and its reckless nuclear bluster are all signs of a larger danger to all we hold dear.
On the fringes of the Munich Security Conference later today, Mr. Sunak hopes to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Leaders from similar nations attend the summit, which is mostly attended by Nato members, to address security challenges.
Prior to Mr. Sunak, US vice president Kamala Harris is scheduled to address the audience.
Next Friday marks the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a video address to the conference yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked international leaders to expedite help for his country.
Kyiv worries that necessary supplies won’t arrive in time to fight against further offensives.
We must move quickly, Mr. Zelensky added. We must act quickly to restrict the potential of Russia, thus we must deliver on our promises quickly and make choices quickly.
Since lives were at stake, he said there was no other option.
Following Mr. Zelensky, Mr. Macron encouraged friends to “intensify our assistance” for Ukraine in order to help its soldiers launch a counteroffensive.
Mr. Scholz claimed that German cooperation was “intended to stay,” but he also subtly criticized other countries for their ineffective attempts to provide Ukraine with promised tanks.
Berlin has promised to deliver some of its military’s most cutting-edge weapons, but it is having trouble convincing allies to follow suit.
Mr. Scholz advised the meeting that “those who can deploy such war tanks should definitely do so immediately.”
Thus far, Ukraine’s cries for fighter planes have gone unheard.
»Rishi Sunak believes NATO should protect Ukraine from Putin’s aggression«