As the war between Russia and Ukraine nears its third year, the UK’s support for Ukraine has continued even in the face of two changes of Prime Minister and the newly emerged conflict in Gaza. Having committed £4.6 billion in military support, and £1.9 billion in economic and humanitarian aid, the UK is estimated to be the second largest donor to Ukraine behind the USA, supplying Ukraine with long range precision strike missiles and portable anti-tank systems, along with pledging funds to help rebuild Ukraine and support its rocky economic recovery.

Military aid:

The majority of support sent to Ukraine has been military based. The UK has sent lethal arms to Ukraine, such as the NLAW anti-tank system and Storm Shadow cruise missiles, over 200,000 items of non-lethal aid such as body armour and mine detection equipment, along with supporting Ukraine’s army with a long term training programme set to train 30,000 new and existing personnel in Operation Interflex. Though initially hesitant, the UK also sent 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine in March 2023 to bolster the existing stock of Soviet era T-72s. This paved the way for other western nations such as Germany and Denmark to send main battle tanks from their stock to Ukraine.

The military support has proved game changing on the battlefield. Just recently, on the 26th December, UK supplied Storm Shadow missiles hit Russian landing ship Novocherkass at the port of Feodosia in Crimea. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) assessed the ship as “completely destroyed” from the initial impact of the missile along with a secondary explosion caused by the detonation of ammunition and explosives on board. These missiles have also been used to pinpoint key bridges in the Crimea region to complicate supply chains for Russian forces.

Also worth mentioning is the NLAW anti-tank system. Standing for Next generation Light Anti-tank Weapon, it has neutralised even the most advanced tanks the Russian military has for the low price of £20,000 per unit. Not only does the 500mm armour penetration make it one of the most potent weapons dismounted troops have against tanks and other armoured vehicles, but reportedly operators can be trained to use it in as little as an hour.

Continued support:

The UK and other Western nations have been under fire for not continuing to support Ukraine as much as they did in early 2022. After the relative failure of Ukraine’s counter-offensive, both Russia and Ukraine seem to be dug in for the long haul, with neither having enough ammunition to make any meaningful offensive action. On the other hand, internal politics in major Western nations, especially the USA, have lead to diminishing support in the fight against Russia.

Even with increasing pressure to consider domestic affairs over those abroad and the emergence of the Israel-Gaza conflict, public opinion in the UK is still firmly behind Ukraine, and the Government has reflected this. On the 7th of December 2023, foreign secretary David Cameron urged the USA to send further aid to Ukraine speaking at the Aspen Institute, saying that the outcome of further support in Ukraine and defending democracy is “worth investing in”. David Cameron went on to discuss these issues with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken later that week.