Zelensky asks for a wide range of Western weapons
ARK News… Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on Monday, asked Western leaders to meet in Latvia; Among them is British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who provided his country with a wide range of weapons systems.
Zelensky directed his request to Sunak in a speech via video link, addressing a meeting in Riga of the leaders of the member states of the Joint Expeditionary Force Alliance, saying: “I ask you to increase the possibility of providing our country with air defense systems, and to help expedite the relevant decisions that will be taken by our partners.”
It includes the Joint Expeditionary Force; British-led and formed to respond quickly to crises in Northern Europe, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
While Western allies, led by the United States, support Ukraine with funding, military training, air defense systems, and other weapons, Kyiv says it still needs more to fend off a Russian invasion.
Sunak announced that the UK would supply "hundreds of thousands" of artillery rounds to Ukraine next year under a £250m contract, and called on JEF leaders to maintain or increase 2022 levels of military support to Ukraine. He said: "From the Arctic Circle to the Isle of Wight, the United Kingdom, and our European allies were unified in our response to the invasion of Ukraine, and we remain unwavering in our ambition to bring peace to Europe again."
He added, "But to achieve peace, we must deter aggression, and our deployment throughout the region together is vital to ensuring that we are able to respond to the most serious threats."
The British news agency "BA Media" reported that Sunak is scheduled to go to Estonia after Latvia to meet the British forces deployed there, and sign a new technological digital partnership with Estonia's Prime Minister Kaya Kallas.
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