The United Kingdom will provide more military support to Ukraine in 2025 than it ever has before, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Feb. 3.
The U.K. previously announced plans to deliver unprecedented military assistance to Ukraine this year, with 3 billion pounds ($3.6 billion) already committed for lethal aid.
"We must do all that we can to support Ukraine's defense," Starmer said at a joint press conference alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels.
"That means stabilizing the front line, providing the kit and training that they need, and that's why this year the UK will give more military support to Ukraine than ever before."
Starmer's comments come weeks after the U.K. and Ukraine signed a historic 100-year partnership agreement in Kyiv. The wide-ranging deal encompasses cooperation in military, energy, scientific, cultural, economic, and other sectors.
During the press conference, Starmer described the devastating effects of Russia's full-scale war that he encountered on his recent visit to Kyiv.
"I saw residential buildings destroyed just days before," he said.
"I met soldiers in the ICU recovering from really terrible burns. And I met children whose parents are out there now on the front line, and it's yet another reminder that this is a war not just in Ukraine, but a war on Ukraine, against those children and their future."
Starmer said it was essential for Ukraine's allies, particularly its European partners, to step up to help Kyiv meet its defense needs. He also mentioned U.S President Donald Trump's recent threat of santions against Russia.
"It's clear that's got (Russian President Vladimir) Putin rattled," Starmer said.
"We know that he's worried about the state of the Russian economy. So I'm here to work with our European partners on keeping up the pressure, targeting the energy revenues and the companies supplying his missile factories to crush Putin's war machine."
The U.K. and other European countries have pledged to play a greater role in Ukraine's defense against Russia amid the transition in the U.S. government. Trump has already limited U.S. foreign aid to Ukraine and other countries, and it is unclear what the future holds for ongoing weapons shipments from Washington to Kyiv.
Starmer has promised that the U.K. will play its "full part" in peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine, possibly including the deployment of British troops to monitor a ceasefire on the ground.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
