UK will stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine with or without US support, Defence Secretary says
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said that the UK would continue to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion – regardless of whether or not the US pulls its support for the war effort.
Mr Shapps, who has been in his post as Defence Secretary for 24 days, was speaking amid reports of growing scepticism among US Republicans over the costs of continued American military aid for Ukraine's defences, saying: "We know the history of Europe, we know what happens when we allow a tyrant to invade a neighbour and they continue westward, and it's absolutely essential that Putin is unable to walk into a democratic neighbour without consequences, and that is why Britian has stood firm and will continue to do so."
Speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the Defence Secretary, in response to a question on what the UK would do if a Republican president was elected on a ticket to pull all US support from Ukraine, said it was a while down the line before the UK sees what happens in the US election, but added: "What I would like to say is that we will carry on standing shoulder to shoulder with our friends in Ukraine."
He pointed out that he had recently met his Ukrainian opposite number, Rustem Umerov, at the 15th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) at the US Air Force base in Ramstein, Germany, along with 50 other nations who were all backing Ukraine, and where he pledged the UK's "unwavering commitment" to the country in is fight against Russia.
Mr Shapps said the UK was continuing to provide ammunition as well as a commitment to train pilots to fly fighter jets, adding that, by the end of the year, 30,000 Ukrainian troops will have been trained in the UK as part of the international effort.
Earlier this month, the UK delivered its 300,000th artillery shell to Ukraine and has committed to providing tens of thousands more this year.
Mr Shapps hailed the unity of partners and allies in delivering military support to Ukraine during the UDCG meeting, where he attended alongside Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin.
The United States has given more than a hundred billion dollars to Ukraine to aid Kyiv's defence against Russia's invasion, but there have been reports of growing opposition to President Joe Biden's aid packages to Ukraine, particularly among Republicans, with some pledging to oppose any new funding, raising concerns that a Republican administration would pull its support for Ukraine's war effort if elected in November 2024.
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