International

UK to give Ukraine further £1billion of military support to help fight Putin

Published

3 years ago

June 30, 2022

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson

The UK has announced a further £1billion of military support to help Ukraine resist Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion.

The latest announcement, which came at the end of the first full day of the Nato summit in Madrid on Wednesday, takes Britain’s total economic and military support for Kyiv to £3.8bn this year.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “UK weapons, equipment and training are transforming Ukraine’s defences against this onslaught. And we will continue to stand squarely behind the Ukrainian people to ensure Putin fails in Ukraine.”

The new commitment from Britain is part of a wider package of support for Ukraine agreed at the Nato summit. Earlier on Wednesday the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Nato leaders that the cost of fighting the war against Russia was around $5bn a month.

He renewed his appeal for more weapons to help his forces resist Russia but added that it was financial support which was now crucial to the future of his country.

Number 10 said Britain’s new tranche of support for Ukraine will go towards boosting Kyiv’s defensive capabilities including sophisticated air defence systems, drones, innovative new electronic warfare equipment and thousands of pieces of vital kit for Ukrainian soldiers. It is also understood it will include ammunition.

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The Government says the extra £1bn means only the US has provided more military support to Ukraine since the start of the war on February 24.

Support has so far included more than 5,000 NLAW anti-tank missiles which are made in Northern Ireland, long-range multiple launch rocket systems, and artillery systems, including 155mm self propelled guns.

Britain has also offered a comprehensive new training programme to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

In his statement announcing the new support, Mr Johnson added: “Putin’s brutality continues to take Ukrainian lives and threaten peace and security across Europe.

“As Putin fails to make the gains he had anticipated and hoped for and the futility of this war becomes clear to all, his attacks against the Ukrainian people are increasingly barbaric.”

Downing Street said funding for the new support would come from the underspend of departments across the UK Government and £95 million in contributions from the Scottish and Welsh Governments’ budgets.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Britain’s commitment to Ukraine was “real and constant” and that the UK would stand by Kyiv “until Russia changes course”.

He added that that he was “relieved” the funding for the new support was not coming out of his already stretched defence budget.

“If it wasn’t coming as extra money it would be coming out of my budget so I am pretty relieved it’s extra money,” he told reporters in Madrid.

“I don’t care how the money is labelled…its fundamentally now helping Ukraine defeat Russia in Ukraine and a worn out Russian army is a definite medium and long term benefit to the United Kingdom.”

In his virtual address to Nato leaders earlier, President Zelensky said the war was not being waged by Russia against only Ukraine but “a war for the right to dictate conditions in Europe – for what the future world order will be like”.

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He added: “Financial support for Ukraine is now no less important than aid with weapons. We need about $ 5 billion a month – and that’s a fundamental thing. This is exactly what is needed for defence, for security.”

On Wednesday Moscow’s battle to wrest the entire Donbas region from Ukraine saw Russian forces pushing towards two Luhansk province villages south of the city of Lysychansk, while Ukrainian troops fought to prevent their encirclement.

Meanwhile, crews continued to search through the rubble of the shopping centre in Kremenchuk where Ukrainian authorities said 20 people remained missing. Authorities in the city declared three days of mourning.

The blast from Monday’s airstrike was so powerful, relatives may not be able to recover any trace of their loved ones’ remains.

Ukrainian state emergency services press officer Svitlana Rybalko said that along with the 18 people killed, investigators had found fragments of eight more bodies. A number of survivors were being treated for injuries such as skull fractures and severed limbs.

Following talks on day one of the summit, Nato issued a declaration announcing more support for Ukraine and a new 10 year strategy which will significantly enhance the organisation’s defences against Russia on Europe’s eastern borders.

It also confirmed Finland and Sweden would be invited to join the alliance – a process which must now be rubber stamped by the parliaments of each of its 30 members – and acknowledged for the first time the “systemic competition” presented by China.

Evening Standard

Related Topics:military support Putin UK Ukraine

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International

Former PM Turnbull Tells Netanyahu to “Stay Out of Australian Politics” After Hanukkah Attack

Published

4 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Trends Admin

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Former PM Turnbull Tells Netanyahu to “Stay Out of Australian Politics” After Hanukkah Attack

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has sharply rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to “stay out of our politics” after Netanyahu linked Australia’s recognition of Palestinian statehood to the tragic Bondi Beach mass shooting.

The attack, which occurred on Sunday during Hanukkah celebrations, left 15 people dead after a father and son opened fire on the crowd. Netanyahu claimed that Australia’s decision to recognize Palestine earlier this year had “poured oil on the fire of antisemitism,” a remark Turnbull described as unhelpful and inappropriate.

Speaking to Channel 4 News in the UK, Turnbull said: “I would respectfully say to ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu, please stay out of our politics. If you’ve got that kind of commentary to make, you are not helping … and it’s not right.”

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Turnbull supported the current Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government for recognizing Palestine in August 2025, emphasizing that Australia is a multicultural society that cannot allow foreign conflicts to be imported. He also stressed that the vast majority of nations recognize Palestinian statehood and support a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.

Albanese echoed Turnbull’s stance, rejecting any connection between Australia’s policy on Palestine and the Bondi Beach attack. He described the moment as one of national unity and called for solidarity with the Jewish community affected by the tragedy.

The Prime Minister visited Ahmed Al-Ahmed, a Syrian-born shopkeeper hailed as a hero for disarming one of the attackers, who is now recovering in hospital. Albanese confirmed that the attackers, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed, were motivated by Daesh ideology.

The exchange highlights tensions between foreign commentary and domestic policy, reinforcing Australia’s commitment to multicultural harmony and security in the wake of violent attacks.

Former PM Turnbull Tells Netanyahu to “Stay Out of Australian Politics” After Hanukkah Attack

ARAB NEWS

International

US Embassy Warns Nigerians Against Visa Fraud, Threatens Permanent Entry Ban

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Trends Admin

US Embassy Warns Nigerians Against Visa Fraud, Threatens Permanent Entry Ban

The United States Embassy in Abuja has issued a stern warning to Nigerians against involvement in visa fraud, cautioning that providing false information or submitting fake documents during the application process could result in a permanent ban from entering the United States.

In a post on its official X handle on Monday, the embassy emphasized, “Visa fraud has serious consequences. Lying or providing fake documents can lead to permanent visa bans under U.S. immigration law.”

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The warning coincided with a meeting between US Ambassador to Nigeria Richard Mills and Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar, where both leaders discussed bilateral relations and areas of cooperation between the two countries.

The embassy reaffirmed its commitment to working with Nigeria on issues of mutual concern, urging visa applicants to adhere strictly to the rules to avoid jeopardizing future travel opportunities.

US Embassy Warns Nigerians Against Visa Fraud, Threatens Permanent Entry Ban

International

Trump Files $10bn Lawsuit Against BBC Over Edited Capitol Riot Documentary

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Trends Admin

US President Donald Trump

Trump Files $10bn Lawsuit Against BBC Over Edited Capitol Riot Documentary

US President Donald Trump has filed a massive $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC, accusing the British broadcaster of defamation and election interference over a documentary that allegedly altered his January 6, 2021 Capitol riot speech.

The lawsuit, filed on Monday in a federal court in Miami, seeks damages of at least $5 billion on each of two counts, including defamation and violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. Trump, 79, said the action followed claims that the BBC documentary deliberately “put words in my mouth,” suggesting the broadcaster may have used artificial intelligence (AI) or deceptive editing techniques.

The documentary in question aired last year ahead of the 2024 US presidential election on the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme, Panorama. It featured an edited version of Trump’s speech delivered to supporters on January 6, 2021, shortly before the storming of the US Capitol, where lawmakers were certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

According to the lawsuit, the BBC spliced together two separate portions of the speech, making it appear that Trump explicitly urged supporters to attack the Capitol. Trump’s legal team described the broadcast as a “malicious and deceptive” act aimed at damaging his political prospects.

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“The formerly respected and now disgraced BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally doctoring his speech in a brazen attempt to interfere in the 2024 Presidential Election,” a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said. The statement further accused the broadcaster of pursuing a “leftist political agenda” in its coverage of Trump.

The controversy triggered significant fallout within the British Broadcasting Corporation, which serves a global audience. Last month, the BBC director-general and the organisation’s top news executive resigned after internal documents revealed the extent of the editing error, sparking public and political backlash in the UK.

Trump’s lawsuit claims the edited clip was “fabricated and aired one week before the election” to influence voters against him. While the BBC has denied claims of legal defamation, its chairman, Samir Shah, sent Trump a formal letter of apology. Shah also told a UK parliamentary committee that the broadcaster should have responded more quickly after the error was identified in an internal memo later leaked to the media.

The legal action marks the latest in a series of Trump lawsuits against media organisations, several of which have ended in multi-million-dollar settlements, reinforcing Trump’s aggressive legal stance against what he describes as unfair media treatment.