Abandoning Ukraine will embolden Iran, Sunak warns

Abandoning Ukraine will only embolden Vladimir Putin’s allies such as Iran and North Korea, Rishi Sunak warned on Friday.

Arriving for a surprise visit to Kyiv, the Prime Minister announced Britain’s military funding to Ukraine would be increased to £2.5 billion and signed a new security pact, the first step in a “100-year partnership”.

“Our actions right now will determine the future path of the war,” Mr Sunak said, at a time when support packages from Washington and Brussels are snarled up in political bickering.

“If Putin wins in Ukraine, he will not stop there. And our opponents around the world believe that we have neither the patience nor resources for long wars. So waver now, and we embolden not just Putin but his allies in North Korea, Iran and elsewhere.”

The military support promised by Britain is its largest annual package of artillery ammunition, air defence missiles and military training.

It includes an extra £200 million worth of drones, most of which will be manufactured in the UK, to support Volodymyr Zelensky’s drive to procure one million extra UAVs this year.

‘Swift and sustained’

While in Ukraine, Mr Sunak signed off on a 10-year security package for the war-torn nations, becoming the first G7 leader to deliver on the deals promised at a Nato summit last year.

The 16-page document promises a “swift and sustained” response if Russia attacks again in the future.

It also pledges Britain’s future role in using its expertise to develop Kyiv’s navy after a series of successes in pushing Russia’s fleet out of the Black Sea, a move first reported by the Telegraph last month.

It read: “The UK will jointly lead the Maritime Security Capability Coalition and will make significant contributions to Ukraine’s maritime fleet development.”

Britain hopes that the promise will transform Ukraine into a “net contributor” to security in both the Black Sea and Sea of Azov by the end of the 10-year deal.

It will also further formalise intelligence sharing, cyber security, military training and defence-industrial co-operation.

Mr Zelensky praised Mr Sunak for his “personal leadership” in supporting the war-torn nation’s armed struggle against the Russian invasion, awarding the Prime Minister with the Ukrainian Order of Freedom.

The Ukrainian president added: “Today marks a watershed moment in European history. Ukraine and the United Kingdom signed a new, unprecedented security agreement.

“This is not simply a declaration. This is a reality that will come to fruition as a result of our cooperation, including security commitments from a major global power, the United Kingdom.”

More than 30 nations are seeking to replicate Britain’s long-term promise to support Kyiv in the wake of it not being offered Nato membership last summer and access to the alliance’s iron-clad mutual defence clause – Article 5.

The announcement was designed to maintain pressure on both the US and European Union to continue providing aid for Ukraine.

Focus minds in Washington

Joe Biden, the US president, was said to be watching closely as he works to secure backing from Congress for a $61 billion (£47.8 billion) support package, which is being blocked by Republican lawmakers.

He hopes the signing of the UK-Ukraine will focus minds in Washington, sources from his administration said.

The EU is also working to find secure backing for its own €50 billion (£52.4 billion) aid package for Kyiv, which was blocked by Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, at a summit in Brussels last month.

On his one-day visit to Kyiv, the Prime Minister visited an apartment block that was recently hit by debris in a Russian missile attack on the capital, meeting emergency workers who hauled survivors out of the rubble. Three people were killed, 50 hospitalised and 400 made homeless in the strike.

He also joined Mr Zelensky at a military hospital in the capital to award Order of Courage medals to soldiers injured on the front lines.

Downing Street will hope the visit cements Britain’s position as one of Ukraine’s most ardent backers, having donated £2.3 billion in military support in the first two years of conflict.

Mr Sunak was also the first world leader to sign off on shipments of modern main battle tanks and long-range missiles.

But the UK has slipped down to Europe’s second-largest backer for Kyiv, with Germany promising to deliver €8 billion in weaponry this year.

03:16 PM GMT

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Thanks for following our live coverage of developments in Ukraine, as Rishi Sunak made a surprise visit to Kyiv to announce a £2.5bn aid package. We’ll be back on Monday with all the latest news.

03:13 PM GMT

Pictured: Sunak and Zelensky meet in Kyiv

02:38 PM GMT

Abandoning Ukraine will embolden Putin and Iran, Sunak warns

Rishi Sunak has urged other countries to follow Britain’s lead and provide support to Ukraine as an “investment in our own collective security”.

He said: “For the free nations of the world, aid to Ukraine is also an investment in our own collective security.

“Because if Putin wins in Ukraine he will not stop there and our opponents around the world believe we have neither the patience nor resources for long wars.

“So waver now and we embolden not just Putin but his allies in North Korea, Iran and elsewhere.

“That’s why the United Kingdom and the free world will continue to stand with Ukraine as we have since the beginning of this war.”

Aid from the US has dried up amid resistance from Congress, while a European support package was vetoed by the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

02:32 PM GMT

Zelensky presents Sunak with order of Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelensky has awarded Rishi Sunak with the state order of Ukraine as he thanked his “dear friend” for supporting Ukraine.

He said: “I’d like to thank the whole of the UK all of its citizens all of its people, I’d like to thank everyone who believed that life and justice have to prevail.

“The UK really ranks first, for it has ranked first throughout history in many respects... I’d like to present the state order of Ukraine, the order of freedom, I’d like to present it to Rishi, my dear friend.

02:27 PM GMT

'Today the history of Europe changed'

Ukraine’s independence from Russia would have been guaranteed if countries had brought in security agreements earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Rishi Sunak, the Ukrainian President said: “Today the history of Europe changed and Ukraine and the UK have entered into a new unprecedented security agreement.

“This is a reality that will come to life thanks to our cooperation, thanks to security guarantees from a prominent global force: Great Britain.

“If this level of guarantees would be guaranteed after 1991 with the UK and the other countries there would not be Russian aggression.

Addressing Mr Sunak directly, he added: “Rishi, dear prime minister, thank you for your personal leadership... we reached a new level of relations between our countries.”

02:07 PM GMT

British support is 'unprecedented', says Zelensky

Volodymyr Zelensky has described the security agreement announced by Rishi Sunak as “unprecedented” and says it will continue until Ukraine joins Nato.

The pact sets out the intelligence sharing, cyber security, medical and military training that Britain will provide for Ukraine, along with a pledge to lend “swift” support in the event of another Russian invasion.

01:37 PM GMT

Ukraine: Russian attacks on Dnipro River bridgehead fading

Russian assaults on the left bank of the Dnipro River are dropping in intensity while Ukraine targets enemy artillery, according to reports.

A spokeswoman for Ukraine’s southern defence forces said three enemy assaults were recorded yesterday, compared to 10-12 attempts previously.

Kyiv established a bridgehead on the left bank in November. Britain’s defence ministry has suggested Moscow was forced to cancel planned offensives after losing fighter jets that left it without air support.

01:25 PM GMT

Sunak: 'Our support cannot and will not falter'

12:50 PM GMT

Medvedev lashes out at 'the arrogant British'

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has hit out at Britain, “our eternal enemies”, after Rishi Sunak announced a multi-billion-pound support package for Kyiv.

He wrote on Telegram: “How would the Western public react to the fact that the British delegation came under fire from cluster munitions in the centre of Kyiv, as happened to the civilians of our Belgorod.

“And one more thing: I hope that our eternal enemies, the arrogant British, understand that the deployment of their official military contingent in Ukraine will mean a declaration of war on our country”.

12:11 PM GMT

Sunak visiting Kyiv after announcing £2.5bn support package

Rishi Sunak is making a surprise visit to Ukraine today to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky after unveiling a £2.5bn military aid package for Ukraine.

The Prime Minister pledged to stand with Ukraine in its “darkest hour” after Mr Zelensky urged western nations to maintain support as the war drags towards its second anniversary.

Britain will provide £2.5bn 2024-25, an increase of £200m from the previous two years, supplying drones, long-range missiles, air defences and artillery shells.

Mr Sunak said: “For two years, Ukraine has fought with great courage to repel a brutal Russian invasion. They are still fighting, unfaltering in their determination to defend their country and defend the principles of freedom and democracy.

“I am here today with one message: the UK will also not falter. We will stand with Ukraine, in their darkest hours and in the better times to come.”

11:45 AM GMT

Shapps: UK is displaying 'uwavering' support for Ukraine

The UK has proved its “unwavering” support of Ukraine’s fightback against Russia with a £2.5 billion in military aid package, Grant Shapps has said.

In a post Twitter, the Defence Secretary said: “We said our support would be unwavering and today we’ve proved it.

“Putin hoped the West would be distracted by events in the Middle East but today we’ve taken the critical step to increase our military support to Ukraine, to get them more of what they need to win.”

10:47 AM GMT

Reports: Sunak has arrived in Kyiv

Rishi Sunak has arrived in Kyiv, according to Ukrainian state broadcaster Suspilne. It has published a picture of the Prime Minister disembarking from a train.

10:45 AM GMT

Listen to The Telegraph's Ukraine: The Latest podcast here

10:03 AM GMT

Authoritarian nations are ‘weaponising’ the West’s weak stance on human rights abuses

Authoritarian countries including Russia, China and Rwanda have been “emboldened” by the West’s weak stance on human rights abuses, a new major report has warned.

Britain and its allies are “picking and choosing” which injustices to challenge and refraining from criticising certain offenders to avoid disrupting diplomatic relations, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its annual, 735-page report.

This includes silence on the disappearance of Rwanda’s political opponents, India’s increasingly transnational repression of critics, or a reluctance to upset countries such as Libya, Turkey and Mexico.

These nations are considered vital migration and trade partners for Britain, the European Union and the United States.

Read the full article from Sarah Newey here.

09:29 AM GMT

Kyiv is in 'acute' need of US support, says White House

Ukraine desperately needs US funding as Russia ramps up its attacks and bombards regions with North Korean missiles, the White House has said.

John Kirby, the White House national security council coordinator, told reporters: “It’s critical that Congress move on that national security supplemental request and we get more funding.

“The assistance that we provided has now ground to a halt.  The attacks that the Russians are conducting are only increasing.

“And now, as I talked about earlier this week, they’re using North Korean ballistic missiles to do their dirty work. So the need is acute right now, particularly in these winter months.”

09:14 AM GMT

British support 'will give Ukrainians certainty'

James Heappey, the armed forces minister, has said there will be “no loss in patience” among Ukraine’s allies as he was questioned why the Government had not provided a longrunning support package.

Ministers and senior military figures are reported to have urged the Government to commit to a military aid running over several years. The £2.5bn in support announced today will provide Kyiv with air defences, artillery shells and drones for the next year.

Mr Heappey told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There is £2.5 billion that effectively is the funding for tactical activity in this next year, follows £2.3 billion last year and the £2.3 billion the year before.

“These capability coalitions, there are a number of them led by different countries, but the ones that the UK are leading is principally in the maritime domain.

“They are exactly the multi-year capability development programmes that give the Ukrainians that certainty around the development of their capabilities over the arc of a decade, and equally importantly, give [Vladimir] Putin the certainty that there is no loss in patience and commitment from their [Ukraine’s] Western supporters.”

08:36 AM GMT

Ukraine package is 'vital support to fight Putin's invasion'

John Healey has backed the Government’s military aid package and pledged there would be “no change in Britain’s resolve to stand with Ukraine” if Labour took office.

The shadow defence secretary wrote on Twitter:

08:31 AM GMT

'Favourable terrain for mechanised manoeuvre warfare' as ground freezes

Freezing conditions across the frontline as the Ukrainian winter takes hold will create “favourable terrain” as Russia attempts to gain ground near Kupyansk, a think tank has said.

The Institute for the Study of War cites Ukrainian officials who say Moscow is concentrating armoured units around the Kharkiv settlement, including the 47th and 4th Tank Divisions.

“Freezing temperatures in Ukraine are likely constraining operations along the front but will likely create more favorable terrain for mechanised manoeuvre warfare as the ground freezes in the coming weeks,” it said.

08:11 AM GMT

EU to bend to Orban demands to secure support package

The EU is preparing to bow to some of Viktor Orban’s demands to secure a €50bn support package for Ukraine, according to reports.

The Hungarian prime minister vetoed the military aid package on November, depriving Kyiv of key supplies amid a stalemate in the US Congress that has seen Washington’s support dry.

In a bid to convince him to drop his opposition, the European Commission is open to giving Mr Orban an opportunity to stop the four-year deal in 2025, three officials told the Financial Times.

07:55 AM GMT

'An unshakeable hundred-year partnership': What else has been agreed?

Rishi Sunak will sign a security agreement later today guaranteeing will provide “swift and sustained” support from Britain if Russia attempts another invasion.

It will also set out the intelligence sharing, cyber security, medical and military training that the UK will provide for Ukraine, along with cooperation between their defence industries.

The agreement is the result of last year’s Nato summit in Vilnius, and the “first step in developing an unshakeable hundred-year partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom”.

07:32 AM GMT

What is being provided by the multi-billion aid package?

Some £200m of the aid package is being spent on providing thousands of drones – the “largest delivery of drones to Ukraine from any nation”, according to a government statement.

This will include surveillance, long-range strike and sea drones, which will predominantly be manufactured in the UK.

“The technology will give Ukraine cutting edge, battle-tested capabilities to defend their citizens and target the invading Russian forces on land and sea,” the statement continues.

The rest of the package will be made up of long-range missiles, air defences – something Kyiv has been appealing for amid Russian airstrikes – artillery ammunition and “maritime security”.

07:27 AM GMT

'Their security is our security': Rishi Sunak's remarks in full

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

07:25 AM GMT

Good morning

Hello and welcome to the liveblog. Benedict Smith here. We’ll be guiding you through all of the updates today, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s surprise visit to Kyiv after announcing a multi-billion aid package.

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