- The Prime Minister has announced the UK will send tanks and
self-propelled guns to aid the Ukrainian offensive
- As the first anniversary of the war approaches, the PM has
stressed the need for an international strategy to break the
stalemate
- This week the Foreign and Defence Secretaries will meet
counterparts to galvanise international action
The Prime Minister is set to accelerate the UK’s diplomatic and
military support to Ukraine in the weeks ahead in a bid to push
Russia further back and secure a lasting peace.
A flurry of UK diplomatic activity will take place across the
globe this week after the Prime Minister directed senior
ministers to drive international action as we approach the first
anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late
February.
The Prime Minister has already committed to match or exceed the
UK’s defence support for Ukraine in 2023 and he instructed
ministers and officials this week to ensure we are being
proactive as possible across the full spectrum of our support.
UK defence and security officials believe a window has opened up
where Russia is on the backfoot due to resupply issues and
plummeting morale. The Prime Minister is therefore encouraging
allies to deploy their planned support for 2023 as soon as
possible to have maximum impact.
Sending Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine is the start of a gear
change in the UK’s support. A squadron of 14 tanks will go into
the country in the coming weeks after the Prime Minister told
President Zelenskyy that the UK would provide additional support
to aid Ukraine’s land war. Around 30 AS90s, which are large,
self-propelled guns, operated by five gunners, are expected to
follow. The Defence Secretary will set out further details of
this support in the House of Commons tomorrow (Monday).
The UK will begin training the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use the
tanks and guns in the coming days, as part of wider UK efforts
which have seen thousands of Ukrainian troops trained in the UK
over the last six months.
The Prime Minister has tasked the Defence Secretary with bringing
together European allies to ensure the surge of global military
support is as strategic and coordinated as possible. The Defence
Secretary will travel to Estonia and Germany this week to work
with NATO allies and other international partners to this end.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Secretary will travel to the United States
later this week to discuss how the UK and US can leverage our
position as leading supporters of Ukraine to galvanise further
international action.
He will also travel to Canada – another of Ukraine’s staunchest
supporters – to discuss closer coordination on international
sanctions and our coordinated effort to boost our support to
Ukraine.
A Downing Street spokesperson said:
“As the people of Ukraine approach their second year
living under relentless Russian bombardment, the Prime Minister
is dedicated to ensuring Ukraine wins this war.
“Alongside his closest military advisors, he has analysed
the military picture, looked at the strategic impact of the UK’s
support and identified a window where he thinks the UK and its
allies can have maximum impact.
“The Prime Minister is clear that a long and static war
only serves Russia’s ends. That’s why he and his ministers will
be speaking to our allies across the world in the days and weeks
ahead to ramp up pressure on Putin and secure a better future for
Ukraine.”
In the lead up to the one-year anniversary of the invasion, the
Prime Minister will seek to demonstrate the UK’s power as an
international catalyst with influence across NATO, the G7, the
Joint Expeditionary Force and elsewhere.
He will work with partners to put Ukraine in the strongest
possible place to enter future peace negotiations from a position
of military, economic and diplomatic strength and secure a strong
and lasting peace.
