Foreign secretary James Cleverly says it is time for intensification in supply of armaments to help Ukraine win war

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said it is time to bring the war in Ukraine to a conclusion with the help of increased armaments from the UK and other countries who have been supporting the war effort.
By Graeme Cousins
Published 18th Jan 2023, 12:06 BST
Updated 18th Jan 2023, 13:07 BST
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Some of those weapons already supplied to Ukrainians include Nlaw anti-tank guns and Starstreak missiles made in Belfast, but the foreign secretary has said to allies in the USA and Canada that it is time to “intensify support” in equipping Ukraine to win the war.

Mr Cleverly was speaking during diplomatic talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington and Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly in Toronto.

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He was visiting the US and Canada after Britain became the first country to meet Ukraine’s request for western heavy tanks, promising 14 Challenger 2 tanks.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaks during a joint news conference in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the State Department, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaks during a joint news conference in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the State Department, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaks during a joint news conference in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the State Department, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The foreign secretary said: “This war has been dragging on for a long time already. And now is the time to bring it to a conclusion.

“We should look to bring it to a conclusion quickly, the conclusion has to be Ukrainian victory. And that dictates therefore that we need to intensify our support at this point in time, while Russia has been on the back foot.”

Mr Blinken said the US had supplied some $25 billion in security assistance to Ukraine over less than a year: “I would anticipate that you’ll hear more announcements in the days to come.

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“The bottom line is we are determined to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to succeed on the battlefield. As we’ve said, the fastest way to bring this war to a just and durable end, to get to diplomacy, to get to a negotiation, is to give Ukraine a strong hand on the battlefield. That’s exactly what we’re doing."

Last year the UK provided £2.3 billion in military support and it has already committed to match or exceed funding for military aid to Ukraine in 2023.

In December French weapons firm Thales’ Belfast factory was awarded a £223m Ministry of Defence contract to produce Saab designed Nlaw anti-tank weapons, which have already proved successful for Ukrainian soldiers battling the Russian invasion.

In addition, Starstreak missile systems – also made at the Belfast base which employs more than 600 people – have boosted the war effort.

Related topics:James CleverlyUkraineBelfastCanadaThales