Wallace warns UK at risk of 'falling behind' in Ukraine military support
That's according to The Guardian, Ukrinform reports.
Wallace said he had formally asked for between GBP 2.3 billion – the current annual level – and GBP 2.6 billion of funding for Ukraine in June before he left the government, but no announcement had been made since then.
"Planners in the department of the Ministry of Defense need time, as do the Ukrainians, to get used to it. If we don't start making the announcement soon we will fall behind many of our European colleagues who have already overtaken us with our support," Wallace said.
In reply, Shapps praised the work of his predecessor but declined to offer a figure. Instead, he said that Wallace "won't be disappointed and he won't need to wait for too long."
Labor's shadow defense secretary, John Healey, also pressed on the issue, warning that "current UK military aid funding runs out in a matter of weeks." He said that he had asked in public for a fresh funding commitment in November.
Britain has given GBP 2.3 billion of military aid to Ukraine for two successive years, but while this year's funding was announced six months in advance, next year's budget has yet to be confirmed with less than three months on clock. Shapps, however, emphasized the existing commitment to Kyiv runs until April, and was not in danger of running out.
