UK will match record Ukraine support in 2023

Prime Minister announces the UK will meet or exceed the amount of military aid spent on Ukraine in 2022 next year.

On a visit to the UN this week the PM will tell leaders that we must put an end to Putin’s economic blackmail by removing all energy dependence on Russia.

Visit to the UN General Assembly in New York comes as Ukraine continues to make unprecedented military gains against Russia.

Prime Minister Liz Truss will use her visit to New York this week to solidify the UK’s commitment to Ukraine’s security and territorial integrity, with the announcement that the UK will match or exceed our record 2022 military support to Ukraine next year.

In the last two weeks the world has witnessed a significant moment in the war in Ukraine, with territory in the east of the country liberated by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Prime Minister will point to this success as evidence of what the Ukrainian people can do with the backing of fellow democracies.

The Prime Minister will use her speech to the UN General Assembly on Thursday to underscore the UK’s long-term commitment to Ukraine, with no let up in our military, humanitarian and political support to the country.

The UK is already the second largest military donor to Ukraine, committing £2.3bn in 2022. We have trained 27,000 members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2015, and in the last year we have provided hundreds of rockets, five air defence systems, 120 armoured vehicles and over 200,000 pieces of non-lethal military equipment.

Last week saw the largest commercial road move of ammunition since the Second World War as tens of thousands more rounds of UK-donated artillery ammunition went to the front lines in Ukraine.

The precise nature of UK military support in 2023 will be determined based on the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, it is expected to include equipment like the Multiple Launch Rocket System, provided to Ukraine by the UK and others, which has been decisive in allowing Ukraine to re-gain over 3,000 square kilometres of territory in recent days.

The Prime Minister said:

Ukraine’s victories in recent weeks have been inspirational. Time and time again these brave people have defied the doubters and showed what they can do when given the military, economic and political support they need.

My message to the people of Ukraine is this: the UK will continue to be right behind you every step of the way. Your security is our security.

As Putin struggles to maintain his hold in eastern Ukraine, he is using Russia’s grip on European energy supplies to economically blackmail the people of Europe. Earlier this month Russia again closed off the Nord Stream Pipeline. Driven by Russian threats and restrictions on supply, the world has seen a spike in energy and food prices in recent months.

The Prime Minister will use her meetings with fellow leaders and CEOs in New York to catalyse global efforts to stop Russia from profiting off its energy exports while ending energy dependence on authoritarian regimes.

The Prime Minister said:

By turning off the taps of Nord Stream gas pipeline, Putin has consigned millions of people in Europe to a colder and more difficult winter.

Too many lives – in Ukraine, in Europe and around the world – are being manipulated by a dependence on Russian energy. We need to work together to end this once and for all.

In her first week in office, the Prime Minister took comprehensive action to help the people of the UK struggling with the cost of living as a result of global headwinds caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine and the aftermath of Covid.

This included the creation of a new Energy Supply Taskforce which is working with international gas suppliers to increase the global supply and reduce the price of gas.

The UK is also speeding up our deployment of clean and renewable technologies including hydrogen, solar, carbon capture and storage, and wind – where the UK is already a world-leader in offshore generation.