Sunak Promises Brits Will Increase Military Aid to Kiev, Slams China

Nov. 28, 2022 (EIRNS)—The U.K. will increase its military aid to Ukraine in 2023, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced in his first foreign policy speech to the Lord Mayor’s Banquet on Nov. 28, his office reported.

“Be in no doubt. We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We will maintain or increase our military aid next year. And we will provide new support for air defense, to protect the Ukrainian people and the critical infrastructure that they rely on. By protecting Ukraine, we protect ourselves,” Sunak said.

On Nov. 19, during his visit to Kiev, Sunak said that the volume of the U.K.’s military aid to Ukraine had surpassed £3 billion ($3.6 billion). The U.K. has already armed Ukraine with close to 7,000 NLAW anti-tank complexes, over 100 armored vehicles, Stormer self-propelled air defense guns with Starstreak missiles, several dozen M109 howitzers and L119 towed guns, M270 MLRS, over 16,000 artillery shells, loitering munitions and 4.5 tons of plastic explosives.

In his speech, he likewise launched an attack on Russia, and really took off the gloves to go after China, proclaiming the end of the “golden era” in China relations which his predecessors had promised.

“Our adversaries and competitors plan for the long term. After years of pushing at the boundaries, Russia is challenging the fundamental principles of the UN Charter. China is conspicuously competing for global influence using all the levers of state power. ... We also need to evolve our approach to China. Let’s be clear, the so-called “golden era” is over along with the naïve idea that trade would automatically lead to social and political reform. ... We recognize China poses a systemic challenge to our values and interests, a challenge that grows more acute as it moves towards even greater authoritarianism.”

The British prime minister’s office reiterated that the U.K. is currently in the process of revising and updating the 2021 Integrated Review of security, defense, development and foreign policy to take account of the “huge geopolitical shifts” that occurred since the review was published.