Britain will send a fresh package of “high-grade” military equipment to Ukraine amid signs Russian forces are preparing for a new offensive in the east of the country.
Boris Johnson said the UK would be sending £100 million (€119 million) of kit including more Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank weapons and “precision munitions” such as drones capable of loitering in the sky until directed to their target.
Following talks in Downing Street with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the two leaders condemned the “unconscionable” strike on a crowded railway station at Kramatorsk – suggesting the Russians were guilty of war crimes.
Mr Johnson praised Germany’s “seismic” efforts to end its dependence on supplies of Russian oil and gas.
But following the disclosure that the EU has spent €35 billion on Russian hydrocarbons since the start of the invasion while sending just €1 billion in aid to Ukraine, Mr Scholz acknowledged that change would take time.
While Germany was investing heavily in renewables for its electricity supply, he said that it would need to import fossil fuels for years to come.
“It is absolutely necessary that we understand that for the time being, it will be important to get the supply from fossil resources from other places than from Russia,” he told a joint news conference with Mr Johnson.
“We are doing so and working very hard to make this happen.”
The latest UK package of lethal military aid follows an appeal from the Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba for Nato to send “weapons, weapons, weapons” including armoured vehicles.
But despite UK defence ministers having recently shown their Ukrainian counterpart “protected mobility vehicles”, there was no mention of supplying armour in Mr Johnson’s statement.
In response to questions, he said the priority was to get equipment to the Ukrainians which they could easily operate.
“I’m in principle willing to consider anything by way of defensive weaponry to help the Ukrainians protect themselves and their people,” he said.
“I think it’s important that we should be giving equipment that is genuinely useful and is operable by Ukrainians, that’s our consideration.”
