From the very beginning of the Russian attack, the British strongly supported Ukraine – with equipment, training and money. Where did this British involvement come from? In short: London not only appreciates the threat Ukraine is in, but has been experiencing the Kremlin's brutality in its own way for years.
To the British's credit, even when the West was criticized for its slowness in helping Ukraine, the accusations did not concern the actions of the government in London. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Warsaw announced the next largest British aid package to date for struggling Ukraine.
– After the end of the Cold War, freedom on our continent was based on a simple idea – that it is people themselves who decide the fate of their countries, not foreign armies. If we allow Putin to win in Ukraine, this principle of sovereignty will be undermined, warns Rishi Sunak, British Prime Minister.
Britain will increase military spending
In Warsaw, Rishi Sunak announced that his country's military spending would increase to 2.5 percent of GDP within six years.
According to the official statement, London will provide 500 million pounds, equivalent to PLN 2.5 billion, for the most urgent purchases of military equipment for Ukraine, i.e. ammunition, air defense and drones. Military aid will include 60 boats, 1,600 strike and anti-aircraft missiles, 400 armored and off-road vehicles, 1,600 strike and anti-aircraft missiles and 4 million rounds of ammunition.
– After the full-scale invasion in 2022, Great Britain was the first to offer training for Ukrainian soldiers and provide billions of pounds of military aid. Today's announcement of another support package shows the UK's huge commitment to helping Ukraine, comments Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General.
All things considered, the British know what the Kremlin's aggressive policy means. It was on their land that Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned. The poisoning of Sergei Skripal in 2018 in the city of Salisbury was treated almost as an attack on British sovereignty. Then, as today, words were spoken about the need for Western unity.
It was on the Isles that the idea to confiscate Russian assets first appeared
– President Putin's actions are aimed at driving a wedge into our alliance and creating divisions within it. The best way to deal with this is to show complete unity. Showing that there is a defense alliance that Russia considers to be the greatest obstacle to its expansion, said Gavin Williamson, British Defense Secretary, in March 2018.
It was on the islands that the idea of ​​confiscating Russian property and allocating it to help Ukraine first appeared.
For years, London was mockingly called Londongrad, because many Russian oligarchs, headed by Roman Abramovich, settled in the British capital. The Kremlin has expanded its spy network in London on an unprecedented scale. The children of Putin's allies have taken a liking to British universities.
Great Britain announces a new defense packageTVN24
According to press reports, after Russia's attack on Ukraine, the British authorities froze private assets of Russians worth £18 billion and £26 billion of the assets of the Russian central bank, but the law stands in the way of the full takeover of these assets.
“The principle is simple that in the UK, in Europe and wherever Russian assets are frozen, we should find ways to use those assets to help Ukraine defend itself against this appalling illegal Russian invasion,” says David Cameron, foreign secretary. Great Britain.
“Our help really makes a difference”
After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, British solidarity with the fighting Ukrainians was so great that the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson became one of the most popular Western politicians in Ukraine.
– I am not anti-Russian in the slightest, but we all agree that what Vladimir Putin is doing, the way he is leading Russia, is completely disastrous. And his invasion of Ukraine is inhumane and barbaric, commented Boris Johnson, former Prime Minister of Great Britain, in 2022.
Johnson's policy is continued by his successors. It's not just military aid that comes from the Islands. Firefighting equipment is ready for dispatch in Kent. It is extremely necessary because Russian missiles destroyed almost 400 fire stations throughout Ukraine. Ukrainian firefighters will receive, among other things, 30 fire extinguishing vehicles.
– Our help really makes a difference. Ukrainian firefighters are losing a lot of equipment, and now they will be able to continue saving lives and protecting civilians, says Chris Philip, minister responsible for the British Police and Fire Service.
Since the Russian aggression, London has allocated almost 12 billion pounds, or approximately PLN 60 billion, to help the fighting Ukrainians. More than half of this amount was spent on armament.
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Main photo source: Paweł Supernak/PAP