UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged world leaders on Saturday to “double down” on support for Ukraineand says additional weapons and security guarantees are needed to protect the country and the rest of Europe from Russian aggression now and in the future.
Sunak delivered the message in a speech to the Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of heads of state, defense ministers and other world leaders. This year’s conference focuses on threats to the accepted rules of international relations nearly a year after Russian troops invaded Ukraine.
Sunak highlighted Britain’s recent commitment to provide battle tanks, advanced air defense systems and longer-range missiles to Ukraine, and urged other nations to follow suit before Russia begins an expected spring offensive.
“Now is the time to double our military support,” Sunak said. “When Putin started this war, he gambled that our resolve would waver. Even now, he is betting that we will lose our nerve.”
Sunak also called on NATO to provide long-term security guarantees for Ukraine. Such commitments are necessary to protect Ukraine from future Russian aggression and to protect the system of international rules that have helped maintain peace since the end of World War II, Sunak said.
“It is about the security and sovereignty of every nation,” the prime minister said. “Because Russia’s invasion, its heinous war crimes and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric are symptoms of a broader threat to everything we believe in.”
© 2023 The Associated Press