The British government will supply Kyiv with 100 missiles in May, the U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said in an interview with the Sun published on May 18.
Shapps said the new Russian offensive, launched on May 10 targeting Kharkiv Oblast with 30,000 troops involved, should be "a wake-up call to the West."
Russian forces have recently expanded offensive operations in Kharkiv Oblast, forcing Ukraine to deploy more reserve troops, according to Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
The U.K. defense secretary said that everything we hold dear will be "in peril" if Western allies allow Ukraine to fall to Russian President Vladimir Putin's "tyrannical rule."
"Warm words are not enough. Every nation that values their freedom must step up and provide what they can, as quickly as they can, to ensure the Ukrainian Armed Forces can fight off the illegal invasion," Shapps said.
Since the beginning of May, the U.K. has supplied Ukraine with 80 air defense missiles, delivering 20 more before June, according to the Sun's article.
London also sent Kyiv more than 30 pallets of parts, including anti-mine equipment, over a million rounds of small arms ammunition, 20 Viking armored amphibious vehicles, and over 4,000 items of military clothing.
Shapps added that in 2024, the total amount of aid provided to Ukraine from the U.K. will be worth 3 billion pounds (around $3,8 billion).
"We are committed to reaching 2.5% of GDP on Defense by 2030, and this is the first down payment," Shapps said.
The U.K. has consistently voiced strong support for Ukraine, alongside the U.S. and Germany.
The country has pledged 12.5 billion pounds ($15.6 billion) in support to Ukraine since February 2022, of which 7.6 billion pounds ($9.5 billion) is for military assistance.
Chris York
