British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has arrived in Poland, where he will announce another £500 million in aid and the supply of new munitions to Ukraine, which is facing an "existential threat", Downing Street reported, AFP reported.
Rishi Sunak will meet his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk and the head of the HATO, Jens Stoltenberg, for talks on Ukraine and wider European security.
This visit comes at a time when Kiev is asking its allies to increase their military assistance, in particular by supplying ammunition that is essential to repel Russian attacks.
On April 20, after long and difficult negotiations, the lower house of the US Congress voted for a massive $61 billion aid package to help Kiev.
Just before he left for Poland, Sunak had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "to reassure him of the UK's unwavering support in defending Ukraine against Russia's brutal and expansionist ambitions," according to a Downing Street spokesman.
The British prime minister "confirmed that the UK will provide an additional £500 million in immediate funding to support the most pressing capabilities, including additional munitions, air defense and drones - taking our support this year to £3 billion," the same source said.
"The Ministry of Defense will also make its biggest ever commitment for military equipment to help Ukraine fight back on land, at sea and in the air," the spokesman said.
"I spoke to Zelensky from the car this morning. We talked about air defense, one of the many topics we discussed," Sunak told the media on the plane.
"You will see that the package we announced today is the largest we have ever announced in one day," he added.
The equipment sent to Ukraine by the Defense Ministry includes 60 boats, more than 1,600 missiles, particularly for air defense, and long-range Storm Shadow missiles. There are also nearly four million rounds of small arms ammunition.
Zelensky welcomed the announcement of the new supplies.
"Storm Shadow and other missiles, hundreds of armored vehicles and boats, ammunition, all this is needed on the battlefield," he said in X.
The Ukrainian president thanked the UK for this assistance "in the field of defense, with a focus on naval and long-range capabilities".
Zelensky also reported that he had discussed with Sunak "the need for an effective model for confiscating frozen Russian assets" around the world.
"Protecting Ukraine from Russia's brutal ambitions is vital for our security and for all of Europe," Rishi Sunak said.
If Putin wins "this war of aggression, it will not stop at the border with Poland," the British prime minister warned.
Ukraine "faces an existential threat" as "Russia continues its barbaric invasion, threatening the security and stability of the whole of Europe," Downing Street said.
Rishi Sunak will also discuss "deepening" bilateral relations with Donald Tusk.
The British prime minister will then meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin. / BGNES
