Campbell welcomes £3bn in military aid saying Ukraine ‘needs to hit back at Putin now’

The DUP MP was reacting to a statement from the British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

“He said that we would provide £3 billion a year in military aid this year, next year and every year that it is needed. That is very much welcome, not least in Ukraine.

"Equally, eight weeks from today there will be a new Administration in Washington, so Ukraine needs assistance now. Putin will probably not pay a price in eight weeks’ time because of all the soundings coming out of Washington. Ukraine needs help now to hit back at Putin now,” said Mr. Campbell.

Mr. Lammy replied: “The point the hon. Gentleman makes is precisely the point I made to European allies this morning. I did not have the Northern Ireland accent, but— believe me—I made the point as forcefully as he has just done.”

The exchange occurred as Mr. Lammy marked 1,000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

He characterised it as ‘1000 days in which Ukrainian bravery has inspired the world, and 1,000 days whose horror and bloodshed has dismayed the world’.

"This war matters greatly for Britain and the global order, but first and foremost we must reflect on what it means for Ukrainians.

“Today, children mourn lost parents, parents mourn lost children, families live with constant fear, and individuals bear scars that will never truly heal, so I say to His Excellency the Ukrainian ambassador in London and to the Ukrainian people: today, as on every one of the last 1,000 days, you are in our thoughts and prayers,” he declared.

Mr. Lammy said London would provide £3 billion a year in military aid this year, next year and every year that it is needed.

He said there would be ‘more funding for Ukraine’s navy and for drones, and the extension of Operation Interflex, which has trained more than 50,000 Ukrainian troops to date’.

Marking the anniversary on Tuesday the Ukrainian Embassy in London stated: “One thousand days. Today, Ukraine marks 1,000 days since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. But this war began in 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea.

"Since then, Russian forces have committed war crimes, destroyed infrastructure, and spread disinformation to cover their imperialist goals.

“Russia’s aggression continues, posing a threat not only to Ukraine but all of Europe. The world could have stopped Russia then, in 2014 – now it must act to prevent further escalation and force Russia to just peace.”

By contrast the Russian Embassy to the United Kingdom stated: “Ukraine’s foreign partners keen on celebrating symbolic milestones marked 1000 days since the crisis spiralled into its hot phase.

"The responsibility for the prolongation of this conflict, its death toll and widespread destruction rests entirely with Western partners of Ukraine – the UK in particular.”

This week the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin signed a new Executive Order on nuclear deterrence after the US President Joe Biden approved the use of US MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) inside Russian territory.

Campbell calls for increased NATO commitment in response to Putin’s ‘undoubted expansionism’