London hopes West 'aid' turns Ukraine into threat for Russia: UK Amb
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The UK Ambassador to Ukraine insists that the West needs to supply enough weapons to Ukraine.
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Screengrab from footage of Ukrainian forces launching UK-made Brimstone missiles, May 2022 (Social Media)
UK Ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, claimed on Thursday that the West's aid to Ukraine is able to not only change the future of the country but also create a threat to Russia.
Simmons told the RBC Ukraine news agency that if Ukraine is well armed, then it can change the current situation and potentially become a deterrent to Russia's future ambitions, adding that she believes that the conflict in Ukraine will be long.
According to the UK Ambassador, the West needs to supply enough weapons to Ukraine so that it can strategically change the situation in the long term, noting that the exact amount of aid is a "nonbinary" issue.
Less than one-third of UN member states joined the anti-Russian statement on the situation in Ukraine, announced on Wednesday at the headquarters of the organization.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that it showed that most UN countries did not support Kiev's anti-Russian statement, as the world is beginning to understand the scale of the crisis caused by the actions of the West in and around Ukraine.
This comes as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived Wednesday in Ukraine and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, where Johnson announced the UK’s next major package of military aid to Ukraine, including unmanned surveillance and anti-tank loitering munitions.
Touching on the ongoing situation, Johnson claimed that Ukraine "can and will win this war."
The Prime Minister has arrived in Kyiv on Ukraine’s 31st Independence Day.
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) August 24, 2022
His message: Ukraine can and will win this war. pic.twitter.com/9DKZYs9QRe
In a tweet, Downing Street announced that "the UK is providing the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a £54 million package of 2,000 state-of-the-art drones and loitering munitions."
NEW: The UK is providing the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a £54 million package of 2,000 state-of-the-art drones and loitering munitions. #StandWithUkraine
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) August 24, 2022
It is noteworthy that in April, Russia sent a diplomatic note to all countries on the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia.
On June 30, the British government announced that the UK will provide another £1 billion ($1.2 billion) of military support to Ukraine against the backdrop of NATO's claims of Russia being Western security's biggest "direct threat".
According to the government, the money will go to boosting Ukraine's military strength, including air defense systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, new electronic warfare equipment, and thousands of pieces of equipment.
In May, the UK said it will be providing £1.3 billion ($1.6 billion) in military support to Ukraine, taking the total British military aid to £3.8 billion ($4.6 billion) this year.
In April, Johnson pledged to supply his Ukrainian ally Zelensky with more military equipment, namely 120 armored vehicles and an additional $500 million in World Bank loans.
Read more: Exclusive: Arms flow to Ukraine will not bring peace - Corbyn
