UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced in Warsaw today that the country is putting its defense industry on "warfare" by increasing defense spending to 2,5 percent of GDP by the end of the decade, amid NATO concerns about the possible fallout from Russia's war in Ukraine. .
During his visit to the capital of Poland, Sunak announced an increase in spending significantly above the goal of two percent of gross domestic product (GDP) set by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The announcement comes after a new pledge to send £500m (€581m) worth of arms to Ukraine, including missiles, armored vehicles and ammunition.
He described the increased spending as "the biggest boost to our national defense in a generation."
"In a world that is the most dangerous since the end of the Cold War, we cannot be complacent," Sunak said at a press briefing with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on April 23.
"As our adversaries pile up, we must do more to defend our country, our interests and our values," Sunak stressed.
He pledged an extra £75bn (€87bn) for defense over the next six years. The target of 2,5 percent of GDP spending was a repeated target set by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2022
Sunak and his Treasury chief, Jeremy Hunt, had previously only said that the 2,5 percent target would be met when economic conditions allowed.
"We are going to put the UK's own defense industry on war footing," Sunak told the assembled British soldiers serving on NATO's eastern front.
"One of the central lessons of the war in Ukraine is that we need deeper stockpiles of ammunition and that industry can replenish them faster," he added.
Under the new spending plan, Britain's defense budget will increase immediately, then steadily increase to reach £87 billion at the end of the decade.
Ten years ago, NATO leaders agreed to set aside two percent of GDP for defense spending. Britain has spent more than that over the past decade but never more than 2,35 percent in 2020, according to NATO figures.
Official UK figures show defense spending was around £55,5 billion last year.
NATO figures showed it was around 2,07 per cent of UK GDP, ahead of countries including France and Germany, but behind Poland, the US, Estonia and others.
Sunak spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to confirm the aid shipment and "assure him of the UK's unwavering support for the defense of Ukraine against Russia's brutal and expansionist ambitions," Sunak's office said.
UK authorities said the new aid to Ukraine includes 400 vehicles, 60 boats, 1.600 guns and four million rounds of ammunition, as Ukraine struggles to halt the advance of Russian forces on the eastern front in a war now in its third year.
The shipment will include Britain's long-range Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of some 240 kilometers and have proven effective against Russian targets.
Sunak said that the British commitment "shows that Ukraine is not alone and that Ukraine will never be alone."
However, he did not indicate whether the aid would be immediately available for delivery.
Zelenskiy has called for more international aid, warning that without it his country will lose the war.
The announcement came three days after the US House of Representatives approved $61 billion in aid to Ukraine, as US lawmakers raced to deliver a new round of US support to the war-torn ally.
The Senate is expected to vote on the package on Tuesday.
Ammunition and shell shortages over the past six months have led Ukrainian commanders to skimp on shells, a shortfall Russia has exploited this year by capturing the town of Avdeyevka and currently advancing on the town of Khasiv Yar, also in the eastern Donetsk region.
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