China in this crisis. During the visit, PM Johnson is expected to set out details of a new support package from Britain to Ukraine, including thousands of more missiles.
In a statement issued ahead of the meeting in Brussels, the British leader called on western powers to step up its assistance to the war-torn nation. “We cannot and will not stand by while Russia grinds Ukraine’s towns and cities into dust,” he said in a statement ahead of the summit,” he said. “The United Kingdom will work with our allies to step up military and economic support to Ukraine, strengthening their defences as they turn the tide in this fight… One month into this crisis, the international community faces a choice. We can keep the flame of freedom alive in Ukraine, or risk it being snuffed out across Europe and the world.”
Accordingly, PM Johnson pledged a new support package for Ukrainian forces, including 6,000 more missiles comprising anti-tank and high-explosive weaponry. Moreover, £25 million (32.9 million) will be mobilised by the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office’s conflict security and stabilisation fund to pay salaries to soldiers and pilots of Ukraine. The meeting in Brussels is expected to be addressed remotely by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also revealed that the summit will sign off on the formation four new battle groups in Eastern Europe, with 1,000 to 1,500 troops deployed in Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
The intergovernmental military alliance has already expanded it troops under its direct command in Europe to 4,000, an increase of nearly 10 times from a few months ago. Speaking during a news conference on Wednesday Stoltenberg said the forces will remain in place “as long as necessary”.
