History is full of examples of misguided decisions leading to unintended consequences. Vladimir Putin would not have expected his invasion of Ukraine to be followed by Ukrainian forces holding their own, the strengthening of the NATO alliance, and the world continuing to hold Russia accountable for its actions.
We can be proud, without an ounce of complacency, that the UK is standing squarely with Ukraine and its people. At last week’s NATO summit in Madrid the Prime Minister confirmed a further £1 billion of UK military support to Ukraine, almost doubling our military assistance.
The UK is leading the way in providing vital assistance to Ukraine. Total UK military support since the outbreak of war is now £2.3 billion; more than any country apart from the United States.
This support will go towards sophisticated air defence systems, uncrewed aerial vehicles, new electronic warfare equipment and thousands of pieces of vital kit. It marks the first step in helping Ukraine not only defend their homeland but to also use offensive weapons to drive out the illegal invasion.
The UK is also working with Ukraine to deliver a new training programme to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This has the potential to train up to 10,000 soldiers every 120 days using battle-proven British Army expertise. This initiative will build on the success of the long-standing Operation Orbital which trained more than 22,000 Ukrainian personnel from 2015.
The Defence Secretary recently met with the UK defence sector in Downing Street, including Manor Royal-based Thales UK, to discuss ways to boost production as a result of increased demand.
The recent NATO summit also saw the alliance confirm that Finland and Sweden would be invited to join. This will provide a further boost to the alliance and the free world’s resolve against Putin and his invasion.
The UK is already the leading European spender on defence this year at 2.3 per cent of GDP; well above the NATO target of two per cent. The Government is calling on Britain’s allies to increase their own defence spending.
The need to ensure Russia does not succeed in Ukraine is not only incumbent on the Ukrainian people, but is clear to us in Britain and throughout the world. We know from Putin’s behaviour over the course of his two decades in power that if he is allowed to succeed in, or even escape punishment from, his evil actions against Ukraine then this frontier will not be where he stops. His barbarism will bring further disruption and devastation to us all, with even greater hunger in developing nations and higher prices for us in the west.
Putin must fail. Ukraine must win.
Henry Smith MP