UK plans to increase support for Ukraine and provide air defense systems — Britain’s PM

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to maintain and increase military aid to Ukraine next year.

He said this in his speech at the Lord Mayor of London banquet, EP writes.

"We will support Ukraine as long as necessary. Next year we will maintain or even increase our military aid.

We will provide new air defense support to protect the Ukrainian people and the critical infrastructure they rely on. By protecting Ukraine, we are protecting ourselves," Sunak emphasized.

The PM called the actions of russia and China the main challenges for Britain. That is why helping Ukraine is one of the ways to resist them.

"First, by supporting Ukraine, we are also intensifying our European relations to overcome such challenges as security and illegal migration.

Second, we are looking at China in a more long-term perspective, strengthening our resilience and protecting our economic security," the British prime minister emphasized.

In his speech, Sunak also emphasized the terrorist methods used by russia in the war against Ukraine.

"In Kyiv, I saw how russia's attention shifted from the bloody clashes on the battlefield to the brutal treatment of the civilian population.

It was recorded in destroyed buildings and piles of debris lying on the streets, in the stories of the first rescuers I met in liberated Kherson, from torture chambers to mine traps left in children's toys.

As the world gathers to watch the World Cup, I saw an explosive device hidden in a children's soccer ball — to turn it into a weapon of war," the British prime minister said.

It will be recalled that in September, Britain declared that it is the second largest military donor to Ukraine after the United States, having provided 2.3 billion pounds ($2.8 billion) in aid this year.

It should be noted that during his first visit to Kyiv on November 19, Sunak promised to strengthen Ukraine's air defense with 125 anti-aircraft guns, and earlier, in November, an additional 1,000 surface-to-air missiles were announced.

As Rubryka wrote the day before, the British Ministry of Defense showed how Brimstone 2 missiles were sent to Ukraine.