On June 2, the UK Defense Ministry said it would continue to support Ukraine as part of a plan to strengthen defense relations with its allies Europe and the US.
The above information was posted on the official website of the UK Government (UK.GOV), in the form of a 144-page report called Defense Strategy Assessment by the UK Ministry of National Defense.
The ministry affirmed that supporting Ukraine in protecting sovereignty, territorial integrity and future security sustainably is a rare turning point for the new generation of collective security in Europe.
Accordingly, the UK is committed to maintaining the £3 billion ($4 billion) in unprecedented military assistance per year for Ukraine, stressing that the support will continue as much as necessary.
The report stated that the move was not only to support Kiev, but also contributed to strengthening London's international leadership role.
He also proposed establishing and expanding joint ventures with Ukraine, creating conditions for Kiev to access new markets, including the field of maintenance and modernization of Soviet-era equipment in third countries.
The British Ministry of Defense said London will draw on Ukraine's experience in ground combat operations and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to develop its own modern combat method. The entire defense system must innovate to keep up with the times, the report stressed.
London had previously announced a new $2.84 billion loan to increase Kiev's military capabilities on March 1, with the expectation that the money would be repaid with profits from frozen Russian assets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later pledged to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that the money would be used for arms production in Ukraine.
According to the Kiel Institute (Germany), the UK has provided Kiev with about 15.16 billion euros ($17.2 billion) since the conflict with Russia broke out in 2022, of which more than two-thirds was military aid.
Meanwhile, Russia has repeatedly warned that Europe's continued supply of weapons to Ukraine will only prolong the conflict and not even change the situation on the battlefield.
The multibillion-dollar annual aid that the UK has just announced shows that London seems to be deliberately ignoring the serious consequences that Moscow has warned of.
Speaking to the UN Security Council on May 30, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya stressed the important role of a ceasefire in resolving the conflict, but noted that Russia would only accept it if the West stopped arms assistance to Kiev and Ukraine ended all military recruitment activities.
