KYIV, Ukraine — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled new military funding for Ukraine on Friday 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 ($3.2 billion) over the next fiscal year, is the largest the U.K. has given to Ukraine since the war began, surpassing previous annual commitments by 200 million pounds ($233 million), the British government said.
The package will pay for long-range missiles, thousands of drones, air defense, artillery ammunition and maritime security, according to Sunak’s office. It comes at a time when other financial aid from the U.S. and Europe is tied up by political wrangling,
“We are not walking away,” Sunak said at a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“This is a signal to the world: Ukraine is not alone,” Zelenskyy said.
Kyiv has been urging the West to send more of the kind of aid the U.K. 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 recognize we’re not going anywhere,” he said.
Sunak’s visit came hours after the British and U.S. militaries bombed Yemen, hitting more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis.
