Starmer announces £1.6bn package for Ukraine air defence missiles

This information was announced by Starmer at a press conference during the EU leaders' summit on Ukraine, which is taking place in London, Ukrinform reports with reference to The Guardian.

He noted that the funding would allow Ukraine to “purchase over 5,000 air defence missiles, which will be manufactured in Belfast, creating jobs in our outstanding defence sector.”

“This will be crucial to protect critical infrastructure now and to strengthen Ukraine to secure peace when it comes, as we must learn from the mistakes of the past. We cannot afford a weak agreement like Minsk that Russia can easily renege on,” Starmer added.

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He also said that he had called today's meeting “to unite our partners around efforts to strengthen Ukraine and support a just and sustainable peace for the benefit of us all.”

“Our starting point must be to put Ukraine in the best possible position now so that it can negotiate from a position of strength, and we are doubling our support,” he stressed.

Starmer also said the leaders had agreed to maintain military aid and increase economic pressure on Russia, and they would insist that Ukraine must be included in any peace talks.

He confirmed plans to create a “coalition of the willing” to ensure any peace deal is respected, with Britain set to take a leading role.

“We will do more to build a coalition of those willing to defend the deal in Ukraine and guarantee peace. Not every country will feel able to contribute, but that cannot mean we do nothing. Instead, those who are will plan aggressively now with real urgency. The UK stands ready to support this both on the ground and in the air, alongside others,” Starmer said.

Photo: Claudia Greco/Po