The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday (local time) urged allies and partners to step up military and economic support to Ukraine at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit to address Russia’s invasion.
“I’m at @NATO where I’ll be urging our allies and partners to step up military and economic support to Ukraine, strengthening their defences as they turn the tide in this fight. We cannot and will not stand by while Russia grinds Ukraine’s towns and cities into dust, tweeted Johnson. NATO leaders convened a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss overhauling the military alliance’s eastern defences, a month after Russia invaded Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden also reiterated that NATO and its allies will continue to support Ukraine with security assistance.
“NATO leaders met today in Brussels — one month since the start of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. We will continue to support Ukraine with security assistance to fight Russian aggression and uphold their right of self-defence,” tweeted US Biden.
Meanwhile, Johnson said that the UK will be providing an additional 6,000 missiles to Ukraine, in addition to the 4,000 NLAWs and Javelin missiles already supplied to help their cause.
“Lethal defensive military aid, including Starstreak high-velocity anti-air missiles, will help Ukrainians continue to defend themselves,” said Johnson.
He also told about providing Pound 25 million in financial backing for the Ukrainian military, which is on top of the Pound 400 million committed in humanitarian and economic aid by the UK.
“The UK will also provide an additional Pound 4.1 million for the BBC World Service to tackle disinformation in Russia and Ukraine, as well as new financial and policing support for the International Criminal Court’s investigation into war crimes,” tweeted Johnson.
He said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is already failing in Ukraine, adding that the Ukrainian people have shown themselves to be extraordinarily brave and tenacious in defending their homeland, in the face of an unprovoked onslaught.
“The UK, working with our allies and partners, will continue to support Ukraine and stand against tyranny. We will win together,” said Johnson.
Meanwhile, Britain has slapped sanctions on 59 Russian individuals and entities, as well as six Belarusian enterprises over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, targeting a shadowy mercenary firm and the world’s largest diamond producer.
“These oligarchs, businesses and hired thugs are complicit in the murder of innocent civilians and it is right that they pay the price,” said UK Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has already shown what it’s capable of and how it can contribute to security in Europe and the world.
He said that the NATO alliance is yet to prove what it is ready to do to protect people.
In a virtual address, Zelensky said, “NATO has yet to show what the Alliance can do to save people. To show that this is truly the most powerful defence association in the world. And the world is waiting. And Ukraine is very much waiting, for real action.”
He said that NATO can still prevent the deaths of Ukrainians from Russian attacks. He said “Ukraine is asking for only 1 per cent of NATO’s jets and tanks to help it defend itself from Russian aggression. We can’t just buy them. Such a supply directly depends only on NATO’s decisions, on political decisions, by the way.”