Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson has announced on Thursday, March 24, that a further troop deployment to European NATO states as well as an increase in aid to the embattled Ukrainian government facing its 4th week of the Russian war on Ukraine.
Johnson said the government would deploy British troops to Bulgaria and double its presence in Poland and Estonia after a meeting of G7 leaders in Brussels, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s miscalculation in Ukraine had helped to unite the international community against “his barbaric invasion.”
Moreover, the PM stated, “This is just the start. We must support a free and democratic Ukraine in the long term. This is a fellow European democracy fighting a battle of national defence. Today, G7 and NATO leaders were also united in our determination to keep tightening the screws on Russia’s war machine, including weaning ourselves off of Russian gas and oil.”
“We’ll not stand by while Putin unleashes his rage on Ukraine. We support the people. The people of Ukraine will triumph, as (Ukraine’s) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy has stated. Putin is doomed to fail, and he will,” Johnson added.
The prime minister also mentioned the significance of developing other energy sources as a way to choke the Kremlin and bring the government to its knees for “its illegal invasion of Ukraine.” Johnson also mentioned his government’s ongoing sanctions against Russia.
On Thursday, the Foreign Office stated that 65 more Russian firms and individuals, including banks, weapons manufacturing enterprises, and billionaires, would be sanctioned. In addition, the administration announced an increase in humanitarian aid to help Ukrainian refugees fleeing the nation.
Johnson also announced the provision of new lethal aid with humanitarian aid to Kyiv, although he did not explain what kind of lethal help this would be or when it would be delivered. Thousands of anti-tank NLAW and Javelin missiles have already been sent to Kyiv, dramatically slowing Russia’s push into the Ukrainian capital.
“The message that Russian President Putin might take away from today’s NATO and G7 extraordinary meeting is that Ukraine is not alone. We support the people of Kyiv, Mariupol, Lviv, and Donetsk in their struggle.”
“I think one of the most significant contributions that Turkey is now making are the TB2s (unmanned aerial vehicles), which I think are very valuable,” Johnson said in response to a question about the UK and Turkey’s air defence support to Ukraine.
“As I’m sure you’ve seen, the UK is providing air defences, and we’re assisting the Ukrainians in learning how to operate them. That seems reasonable to me, but I don’t think I should go any further than that.”
“What Britain is providing, as I am sure you have also seen, our air defences, and we are assisting the Ukrainians in learning how to operate them. I think that is entirely reasonable, but I do not think I should go beyond what I said.”
