The foreign secretary labeled the conflict as ‘the challenge of our generation’ following his second visit to Kyiv to meet Zelenskiy.
David Cameron announced on Thursday, during his second trip to Kyiv since assuming the role of UK foreign secretary, that the UK has pledged £3bn annually “for as long as it is necessary” to assist Ukraine.
Additionally, he expressed no objection to the potential use of UK-supplied weapons for strikes inside Russia.
During his visit, Lord Cameron, who engaged with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, has prioritized securing additional arms for Ukraine as one of his key objectives as foreign secretary. This announcement marks the UK’s most significant spending commitment since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Previously, in January, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged £2.5bn in military aid to Ukraine for the years 2024-25, a £200m increase from the previous two years. However, no commitment was made beyond that timeframe.
In a Reuters interview, Cameron stated, “Ukraine has the right to strike inside Russia because Russia is striking inside Ukraine … You can understand why Ukraine feels the need to defend itself.”
He further remarked, “We’ve just emptied all we can in terms of giving equipment. Some of the equipment is actually arriving in Ukraine today while I am here.”
The foreign secretary unveiled that the UK’s contribution of military equipment would encompass precision-guided bombs, air defense missiles, and gear for 100 mobile air defense teams, empowering Ukraine to intercept Russia’s drones and missiles.
The UK additionally pledged to double its domestic munitions production by investing an additional £10bn over the next decade. This initiative aims to bolster UK national security while maintaining the supply of weapons to Kyiv, ensuring Ukraine’s resilience for as long as necessary.
Cameron announced that the UK would convene international partners next month to rally additional contributions to the International Fund for Ukraine, addressing Ukraine’s immediate capability needs.
Furthermore, the foreign secretary confirmed a £36m package earmarked for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, alongside investments in future innovations to aid Ukraine’s energy transition and recovery efforts.
Cameron emphasized, “Ukraine is fiercely defending itself against Russia’s illegal invasion, turning a war Putin thought would be brief into one lasting years. However, this conflict represents the defining challenge of our generation, and Ukraine cannot confront it alone.”
He continued, “We must collectively step up to ensure Ukraine receives the necessary support to prevail. Through our multi-year military funding, provision of weapons, and crucial assistance to safeguard and restore Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, the UK stands firmly with Ukraine and will continue to do so for as long as required.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Cameron ruled out deploying British troops to Ukraine. However, in an interview with the Economist, French President Emmanuel Macron maintained a stance of strategic ambiguity, stating, “I’m not ruling anything out, because we are facing someone who is not ruling anything out. We have arguably been too cautious in defining the boundaries of our actions against an aggressor who shows no restraint.”
“Our capability lies in maintaining credibility, offering continuous assistance, and equipping Ukraine to resist. However, our credibility also hinges on our ability to deter by maintaining some level of ambiguity regarding our actions. Providing full visibility into our intentions would undermine our position.”
Should the Conservatives fail to secure re-election, a Labour government would be faced with the choice of either adopting Cameron’s spending commitment or disavowing it. While the UK’s Ukraine policy has generally enjoyed bipartisan support, it remains uncertain whether the multi-year commitment to continue arming Ukraine’s military “for as long as it takes” was coordinated with the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, beforehand.
