UK Defence Secretary promises more aid to Ukraine
The relevant statement was made by United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps in his article for European Pravda, dedicated to Ukraine’s Armed Forces Day, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“My message to you is simply this. The UK is with you. We were there, post Russia’s unjustified Crimean invasion in 2014; training your troops as part of Operation Orbital. We were there in 2022 after the Kremlin’s tanks rolled in across Ukraine. We were the first European country to send you lethal aid, the first to provide you with tanks and the first to dispatch our long-range missiles to help you kick Russia out. And, just as we’ve been there with you in the past and present, we will be there with you in the future,” Shapps noted.
In his opinion, as we head into 2024, Putin still believes the West, distracted by events elsewhere, will tire of his illegal war. But, the Russian dictator is wrong.
“That’s also why we will be upping our training efforts on land – with Romania joining as the eleventh member of our Interflex intervention. And that’s why, last month, I announced a major new package of equipment support for Ukraine worth over GBP 100 million,” Shapps explained.
According to him, following on from GBP 4.6 billion of support committed to Ukraine since the conflict began, the United Kingdom will be giving Ukrainian forces air defence systems, bridging equipment and capabilities to safely cross minefields.
