Boris Johnson will urge western allies to help “keep the flame of freedom alive” in Ukraine as he pledged the UK will supply thousands more missiles to the military in Kyiv.
The Prime Minister is joining fellow Nato leaders in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss the latest situation a month on from the start of the Russian invasion.
He will use the visit to set out details of a new support package for Ukrainian forces, including 6,000 more missiles comprising anti-tank and high-explosive weaponry.
It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for worldwide demonstrations on Thursday to mark exactly a month since Russia launched its invasion.
The UK stands with Ukraine, now and in the future. As my friend @ZelenskyyUa says: we will win together. https://t.co/LABQs8fFpE
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 23, 2022
The Nato meeting, which will be addressed remotely by Mr Zelensky, is expected to sign off on the formation of four new battlegroups in eastern Europe.
Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said the battlegroups – each numbering between 1,000 and 1,500 troops – would be deployed in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria.
The alliance already has 40,000 troops in Europe under its direct command, nearly 10 times the number it had a few months ago.
Mr Stoltenberg told a news conference on Wednesday that the forces will remain in place “as long as necessary”.
“This is a significant reinforcement of our presence in the east with air, sea and land forces,” he said.
“We are there to protect and defend allies, ready to respond massively to any potential threat or attack against any Nato allied country.”
As well as sending more missiles, the UK is providing £25 million from the Foreign Office’s conflict security and stabilisation fund to help pay the salaries of Ukrainian soldiers and pilots.
Britain has already sent more than 4,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, including next-generation light anti-tank weapons systems (Nlaws) and Javelin missiles.
It is also supplying and training Ukrainian troops in the use of Starstreak high-velocity anti-air missiles as well as providing body armour, helmets and combat boots.
The Government will provide an additional £4.1 million to the BBC World Service to counter disinformation in Russia and Ukraine as well as new support for the International Criminal Court (ICC).
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