UK Announces $304 Aid Package for Ukraine: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a new $304 million (£250 million) aid package for Ukraine during a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit held in Latvia on Monday, according to a report from Politico.
The JEF is a military alliance that consists of Northern European countries, including Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
During the event, the British prime minister urged fellow European countries to continue aiding Ukraine and stressed the importance of sending more air defense systems and artillery to the country.
Sunak’s announcement was revealed ahead of the summit in a statement from the prime minister’s office on Monday.
“Acknowledging the regional challenges faced by the Nordic and Baltic countries, including Russia’s continued aggression, the Prime Minister will call on leaders at JEF to sustain or exceed 2022 levels of support for Ukraine in 2023 through ongoing lethal aid, economic resilience and political backing,” the statement reads, adding that the UK was also announcing a new “ £250 million contract that will ensure a constant flow of critical artillery ammunition to Ukraine throughout 2023.”
Prime Minister Sunak said on Monday that to achieve peace, allies “must deter aggression” and that deployments to Ukraine are “vital in ensuring we are able to respond to the gravest of threats.”
“I know this Joint Expeditionary Force summit will only underline our close friendships and unwavering support for Ukraine,” Sunak added.
The United Kingdom has been one of Ukraine’s most reliable allies since the Russian invasion began, contributing a total of $7.43 billion in aid to Ukraine since February 24, according to Germany’s Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
Ukraine News Follows UK Aid Review Plans
Last week, news reports revealed how Prime Minister Sunak had requested a “Goldman Sachs-style” audit of the progress being made in Ukraine, leading some to believe that the British government may be looking to limit the amount of aid supplied to Ukraine in the future.
One source from Whitehall, a street in London that’s home to much of the British civil service, said that the request triggered concerns among senior government figures over Sunak’s possible plans to change the United Kingdom’s stance on the conflict.
However, a Downing Street source responded to the reports by reiterating the United Kingdom’s “unwavering” support for Ukraine.
If Sunak were to change his tune on Ukraine, it could well be a political ploy rather than a moral one. With a general election just two years away, Sunak is still struggling to build the kind of popularity enjoyed by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. A recent YouGov poll shows Sunak at just 23%, and the Labour Party at 48% – suggesting a Labour landslide is on the way.
If funding Kyiv becomes wildly unpopular amid a cost-of-living crisis, a U-turn on Ukraine could be coming Britain’s way – and Sunak’s audit request may eventually be used as reasoning for a change in strategy.
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor.
