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UK's Sunak vows Ukraine 'will prevail' as new artillery funding unveiled / Photo: © AFP
UK's Sunak vows Ukraine 'will prevail' as new artillery funding unveiled
Britain announced Saturday a new £245 million ($311 million) defence package for Ukraine, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed on the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion that Kyiv will "prevail".
The funding will go towards "urgently needed artillery ammunition" for Ukraine, Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said, days after Defence Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed the delivery of an additional 200 Brimstone anti-tank missiles.
It brings the total number of such missiles dispatched to Kyiv since the start of its full-scale war with Russia to more than 1,300.
Shapps also reiterated that London will co-lead an international coalition that will supply thousands of drones to Ukraine.
Marking the "grim anniversary" Saturday, Sunak said on X (formerly Twitter) that "life will win over death" and "light will win over darkness".
"We will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow, prepared to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, until they prevail," he said in an accompanying video posted on the platform. "Slava Ukraini" ("Glory to Ukraine"), he added.
Announcing the new arms funding, the MoD said Ukraine has been "particularly noted for its highly effective use of its artillery".
It has "proved critical to Ukraine's battlefield successes, continuously degrading Russia's forces and preventing them from making significant breakthroughs".
While Ukraine's military casualties and deaths remains undisclosed by Kyiv, US officials reportedly estimate that about 70,000 soldiers have been killed and 120,000 others injured.
Losses are also heavy on the Russian side, but Moscow appears to be able to fill its ranks through coercion and financial incentives -- on top of having a bigger population.
The UK also said it had pledged £8.5 million to the Red Cross and the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund.
The money will bolster Britain's ongoing support for their work with local partners, providing emergency responses and "vital humanitarian assistance across Ukraine," according to the Foreign Office.
Around £6 million will support the Red Cross Movement's "neutral and impartial work" there, while £2.5 million will fund the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, part of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
O. Karlsson--BTZ
