Sunak: Ukraine’s long-term security must be ensured now

SMA NEWS – MUNICH
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged world leaders to send the most advanced weapons to Ukraine now in order to secure its long-term future.
Sunak told the Munich Security Conference that allies must give the country “advanced, NATO-standard capabilities”.
He said now was the time to “double down” on military support. Throughout the conference, Ukraine’s allies have reiterated the case for defending the country.
The three-day gathering to discuss global security, taking place in Germany ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion, provided a key test of Western support for Kyiv as both sides in the war prepare for spring offensives.
Most of those who attended the conference — from heads of state and ministers to diplomats and spies — were from Europe or the US, including US Vice-President Kamala Harris and nearly 30 European heads of government. No Russian officials were invited.
Sunak had said he wanted to “make sure other countries follow our lead” in providing battle tanks, and training soldiers and aviators on NATO-standard aircrafts.
In his speech in Germany, he said: “Ukraine needs more artillery, armored vehicles and air defenses, so now is the time to double down on our military support.
“When Putin started this war, he gambled that our resolve would falter. Even now he is betting we will lose our nerve. But we proved him wrong then, and we will prove him wrong now.”
Calling for a new NATO charter to provide assurances of long-term support, Sunak said allies “must demonstrate that we’ll remain by their side, willing and able to help them defend their country again and again”.
He went on to say that, as well as having a military strategy “to gain a decisive advantage on the battlefield”, allies also needed “to rebuild the international order on which our collective security depends”.
Sunak said international law needed to be upheld in order to hold Russia to account. He also called for “a new framework” for Ukraine’s long-term security, and said the international community’s response had not been strong enough against Russia’s aggression.