British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said NATO allies should finalize a security guarantee for Ukraine when the alliance’s leaders meet at a summit in July.
(Bloomberg) —
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said NATO allies should finalize a security guarantee for Ukraine when the alliance’s leaders meet at a summit in July.
Speaking in conversation with Maria Tadeo of Bloomberg Television at the Munich Security Conference, Sunak endorsed the idea of Ukraine eventually joining NATO but insisted there must also be a plan to underwrite the country’s security before then.
“We need to think about the future of how we protect Ukraine’s security,” he said. “That’s a conversation that we should start having, because the Vilnius summit is a good place to conclude.” NATO leaders will meet July 11 and 12 in the Lithuanian capital.
Sunak also called on Ukraine’s allies to send more artillery, long-range weapons, tanks and air-defense systems to fend off the Russian invasion, saying the war has reached an “inflection point” and Kyiv can seize a decisive advantage if it’s given the right weapons.
The UK government has sought to portray itself as leading the world in the response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago. Britain last month became the first country to commit to sending modern main battle tanks to the war-battered nation, a decision that helped pave the way for Germany, the US and others to do likewise.
British tanks will be ready for use in Ukraine as early as March, Sunak has said. Earlier this month the prime minister received a political boost when Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a surprise visit to the UK, praising Britain for backing Ukraine from the very start of the war.
The UK is now discussing sending long-range missiles to Ukraine while also assessing the long-term possibility of sending fighter jets to help in the war against Russia. UK troops will begin training Ukrainian pilots in the spring although Sunak said the logistical challenges of supporting British planes means it’s not feasible to send jets in the short term.
–With assistance from Maria Tadeo.
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