BRITAIN ‘OPEN-MINDED’ ABOUT SENDING LONG RANGE WEAPONS TO UKRAINE

Mon 12 December 2022:

British defence minister Ben Wallace says he would be “open minded” about supplying Ukraine with long range weapons systems if Russia continues targeting civilian areas.

Speaking to parliament, Wallace was asked by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a vocal supporter of Ukraine, about the possible supply of longer-range missile systems to Kyiv to destroy or damage drone launch sites.

“I constantly review the weapons systems we could provide,” Wallace told parliament.

“We too have in our armour potential weapons systems that are longer and should the Russians continue to target civilian areas and try and break those Geneva Conventions, then I will be open minded to see what we do next,” he said.

Since the invasion, Britain has committed 3.8 billion dollars ($4.6 billion) to supporting Ukraine, which includes military training, weapons and humanitarian assistance.

Ukrainian PM appeals for Patriot missile batteries

Ukraine’s prime minister appeals for Patriot missile batteries and other hi-tech air defence systems to counter Russian attacks.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told French broadcaster LCI that Russia wants to swamp Europe with a new wave of Ukrainian refugees by taking down infrastructure that has caused electricity and water outages for millions during freezing winter.

The provision of Patriot surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine would mark a significant advance in the air defence systems the West is sending to help the country defend itself from Russian aerial attacks.

So far, no country has offered them, although Germany has provided Patriot missiles to neighbouring Poland, its NATO ally.

EU ministers agree to recharge military aid fund for Ukraine

European Union foreign ministers agreed to replenish a fund that has been used to pay for military support for Ukraine with another two billion euros ($2.11bn).

There is a possibility of another boost later, with the total increase until 2027 amounting to up to 5.5 billion euros, said the European Council.

“Today’s decision will ensure that we have the funding to continue delivering concrete military support to our partners’ armed forces,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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