The Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said on Thursday that the UK are to send hundreds of “Brimstone anti-tank missiles” to Ukraine as the two year anniversary is nearing.
Shapps told MPs in the House of Commons that the UK will not “stop support the brave Ukrainians until they have won as the second anniversary of the war will be on Saturday.
The Defence Secretary has fired a warning shot to Washington that they will find it “far more expensive” to defend world order in the future if they fail to support Ukraine with more military aid.
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Speaking in the Commons on Thursday Shapps said, “Today I can announce a new package of 200 brimstone anti-tank missiles in a further boost to defend Ukraine.
“These missiles have previously had significant impact on the battlefield, in one instance forcing Russian forces to abandon and retreat an attempted crossing of a river.”
Shapps announced to MPs that the UK are set to train more Ukrainian troops, he added, “Together we will train a further 10,000 in the first half of 2024.”
Shapps warned against allies faltering with Ukraine, he said, “The UK will continue to double down on that support. All freedom-loving countries must be compelled to do the same.
“This year will be make or break for Ukraine, so it is time for the West and all civilised nations to step up and give Ukraine the backing it needs.”
Conservative former defence minister Mark Francois said, “In one such conversation a Republican perfectly reasonably asked me: ‘Why should I tell the people of my district to send their taxpayer dollars to Ukraine?’
“To which I humbly replied: ‘Because as a member of NATO it is ultimately cheaper than sending your sons and daughters.’
“In that context, would the Defence Secretary agree with me that whilst we must respect American domestic politics, it’s not for us to tell them what to do, this again is a time for the new world in all its power and might to come to the rescue and liberation of the old?”
Shapps replied, “His point is absolutely right.
“The reason this is in America’s interest isn’t just to come to the rescue of Europe but it is because other despotic leaders, other autocrats or other regimes of any type will be looking at whether we simply lose and give up because we get bored of the fight and then walk away.
“And they’ll draw conclusions about that and decide whether in fact they can always take on the red line, the West, the no-go area, based on the fact that all you have to do is wait it out.
“That is why (Francois) is absolutely right to say it is indicatively in America’s interest to step in here because otherwise they will find it far more expensive in the future, perhaps in other parts of the world, to defend the world order.”
The Labour, shadow defence secretary John Healey said, “The UK is totally united, totally committed in supporting Ukraine as they fight for their freedoms, for their territorial integrity and their right as a democratic country to decide their own future.
“The UK will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes to win.”
