Defence spending should continue to rise, as a signal to Russia that Britain takes Europe’s security seriously
Rishi Sunak may have sought to reassure Volodymyr Zelensky, in his call to the Ukrainian President on Tuesday night, that British support for Ukraine will be “as strong as ever”. But the Ukrainian leader could be forgiven for wondering whether Sunak’s arrival in Downing Street will result in a softening in Britain’s stance on the Ukrainian cause, accelerating a trend that is evident among other Western leaders.
Boris Johnson’s visceral commitment to Ukraine’s battle for survival against Russia led the Ukrainians to name city streets in his honour. Liz Truss, too, was unstinting in her support for Kyiv, especially during her time as Foreign Secretary, though her short-lived tenure in Downing Street means that she is unlikely to receive a similar level of Ukrainian acclamation as Johnson.
Sunak, similarly, has repeatedly pledged his backing for Kyiv although, during his previous incarnation as chancellor, his focus was directed more towards domestic issues, such as tackling inflation and the massive debt the nation built up during lockdown. However, the fear in Ukraine must be that, now Sunak has achieved his goal of becoming Prime Minister, the economy and public finances are likely to remain his priority.
One key area where Sunak is certain to take a different approach to his predecessor is on defence spending, where he is known to be lukewarm about Truss’s pledge to increase expenditure to 3 per cent of GDP by the end of the decade.