The acceleration of military support to Ukraine will be the key
focus of a meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels tomorrow
(Weds).
Defence Secretary arrived in Brussels today for the first NATO Defence
Ministers meeting of 2023. Ministers are expected to discuss how
to sustain and accelerate support for Ukraine, drive NATO’s
military transformation and modernisation, and Sweden and
Finland’s accession to NATO.
Today, the Defence Secretary had bilateral meetings with his
Romanian and French counterparts as well as meeting his Ukrainian
counterpart Oleksii Reznikov.
The UK is committed to standing with Ukraine for as long as it
takes. Alongside allies, we continue to provide training and
equipment to the country, with the ability to surge that support
should Ukraine come under threat. By making this commitment we
will strengthen Ukraine’s position in negotiations, guard its
long-term sovereignty and enable Ukraine to deter by
denial.
Defence Secretary said:
I am very pleased to be back at NATO to continue the vital work
to support Ukraine, as well as meeting with my defence
counterparts.
Our important work is ongoing, the UK and our Allies will stand
in solidarity with Ukraine for as long as it takes
Defence Ministers from Germany, Canada, Lithuania, Latvia,
Estonia and the UK will also review future cooperation on NATO’s
enhanced Forward Presence in Eastern Europe. The UK leads the eFP
battlegroup in Estonia, where 1,500 soldiers are currently on a
major exercise, Exercise Winter Camp, with 40 main battle tanks
and 100 armoured fighting vehicles from across three countries
taking part.
The meeting comes just days after President Zelenksyy made a
historic visit to the UK to meet Prime Minister and see first-hand how the UK
was supporting Ukraine through military training and lethal aid
donations.
As one of the leading contributors to NATO, the UK will take on
leadership of NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF)
in January 2024, following on from the UK’s 12-month tenure
leading NATO’s Maritime High Readiness Force last year.
Today was also the 9th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact
Group (UDCG), where partners reaffirmed their commitment to
sustain support for Ukraine and uphold the national rules-based
order.
Together, the members of the UDCG have committed more than
£40billion in military assistance to Ukraine. The UK provided
more than £2.3billion worth of lethal aid to Ukraine in 2022, and
the Prime Minister has committed to match or exceed the same
level of funding in 2023.
