Great Britain wants to increase defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP

After meeting Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he wants to increase defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by the end of the decade. They currently stand at 2.23 percent. This means that Great Britain is already meeting NATO's two percent target. Great Britain wants to spend 75 billion pounds (almost 82 billion euros) on weapons over the next six years.

Largest aid package for Ukraine to date

Even before Sunak's visit to Warsaw, the British government announced a huge aid package worth 500 million pounds (580 million euros) for Ukraine. Among other things, Britain wants to supply Ukraine with more than 1,600 attack and anti-aircraft missiles and additional Storm Shadow cruise missiles. These have a range of 241 kilometers and have proven effective against Russian targets. Hundreds of armored vehicles and 60 military boats are also to be sent to Ukraine.

A world of increasing threats

“We did not choose this moment, but it is up to us to meet it,” Sunak emphasized. “In a world of increasing threats, we must show our adversaries that we are determined to ensure that their efforts to destabilize our world and forcibly redraw its borders fail. We will stand with our friends and allies in the forefront in defense of a free, democratic world.”

Stoltenberg praised the British plan

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the British Prime Minister's announcement and urged NATO allies to do more to support Ukraine. Air defense is particularly important.

After moving to Warsaw, Sunak wants to go to Germany. On Wednesday he wants to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholes (SPD) in Berlin.