The British prime minister met with Zelenskyy at a time when financial support from Europe and the US is becoming more difficult to obtain.
ADVERTISEMENTBritish Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has unveiled new military funding for Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv aimed at reassuring the country that the West is still providing support nearly 23 months after Russia’s invasion.
The package, worth £2.5 billion pounds (€2.91bn) over the next fiscal year, is the largest the UK has given to Ukraine since the war began, surpassing previous annual commitments.
“I am here today with one message: The UK will... not falter,” Sunak said. “We will stand with Ukraine, in their darkest hours and in the better times to come.”
The package will pay for long-range missiles, thousands of drones, air defence, artillery ammunition and maritime security, according to Sunak's office. It comes at a time when other financial aid from the US and Europe is tied up by political wrangling,
“We are not walking away,” Sunak said at a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian officials welcomed the UK announcement, pointing to it as evidence that Western support for its fight against its bigger neighbour is not waning, as some have feared.
“This is a signal to the world: Ukraine is not alone,” Zelenskyy said.
Sunak and Zelenskyy signed a bilateral security agreement for the next 10 years. It will remain in effect until Ukraine acquires its hoped-for NATO membership, Zelenskyy said. Details of the agreement are to be released later, officials said.
Kyiv has been urging the West to send more of the kind of aid the UK is providing as the grinding war brings little change along the front line and both sides turn to long-range strikes.
Sunak said he made Ukraine his first foreign trip of the year to send a “strong signal” of support, representing "the seriousness of the situation here and our determination to stand with Ukraine” amid competing claims for international attention.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “needs to recognise we’re not going anywhere,” he said.
“We are here for Ukraine to win,” said Sunak, who noted that supporting Kyiv was a way to protect global security. “If Putin wins in Ukraine, he will not stop there.”
Sunak first visited Ukraine in November 2022, soon after he became prime minister, and Britain is one of Ukraine's most vocal backers. It is the second-biggest donor of military aid to Ukraine after the US.
Ukraine and Russia are seeking to replenish their arsenals this year, military analysts say, in anticipation of possible major ground offensives in 2025.