London – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce a major new artillery package for Ukraine on Monday during a meeting with Nordic, Baltic and Dutch counterparts in Riga.
Sunak will arrive in Latvia on Monday for the meeting to discuss ongoing efforts to counter Russian aggression in the Nordics and Baltics with other members of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).
Sunak will urge leaders to maintain or exceed 2022 aid levels for Ukraine in 2023, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
He will also announce that Britain will supply “hundreds of thousands of rounds of artillery ammunition next year under a ยฃ250 million ($304 million) contract that will ensure a constant flow of critical artillery ammunition to Ukraine throughout 2023,” the statement said.
Britain had led the way in “providing defensive support to Ukraine including sending several rocket systems and recently 125 anti-aircraft guns”, it said.
“We have also provided more than 100,000 rounds of ammunition since February, with the supplies directly linked to successful operations to retake territory in Ukraine,” it added.
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Sunak visited Kyiv last month to offer further support to Ukraine in its fight against Russian forces following the February invasion.
“Britain and our European allies have been locked in our response to the invasion of Ukraine, and we remain steadfast in our ambition for peace in Europe again,” Sunak said in the statement.
“However, to achieve peace we must deter aggression and our deployments in the region together are critical to ensure we can respond to the most serious threats,” he added.
The JEF meeting, which brings together the leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK, will also be addressed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Source: sn.dk