© Reuters FILE PHOTO: British Prime Minister Liz Truss leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, September 8, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Liz Truss has pledged to double aid to Kiev after Russia, following a pledge at a UN summit to meet or exceed 2.3 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) in military aid to Ukraine next year. Invasion.
Truss, on her first international tour as prime minister, will call on other leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York to help end Russia’s power stranglehold on Europe, which she says has allowed them to “capture” too many lives.
Queen Elizabeth’s trip to New York, just hours after her funeral, was the first event to be delayed at a time when British politics have been fraught with national mourning for the late monarch.
It marks the start of a busy week for Britain’s new prime minister as her government puts in place a new energy support package for businesses, plans to help the National Health Service and much-anticipated tax cuts.
In New York, where Truss will meet US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, she said the British leader would support Ukraine, which has been able to push back Russian forces with Western military aid.
“My message to the people of Ukraine is this: the UK will continue to be behind you every step of the way. Your security is our security,” she said in a statement ahead of her speech at the summit, which starts on Thursday.
He added: “Too many lives in Ukraine, in Europe and around the world depend on Russian power.” We must work together to stop this once and for all.
Britain has announced that it will become Ukraine’s top military donor by 2022, with £2.3bn, although it is expected to include equipment such as rocket artillery, but next year’s support will depend on the needs of Ukraine’s military.
Culture Minister Michelle Donnellan told Sky News that the purpose of the trip to New York was “not to secure a trade deal” but could be discussed at the Biden meeting.
Britain had made a trade deal with the United States a top prize for leaving the European Union, but hopes of a quick deal faded when the Biden administration said it was not a priority.
(The story corrects the year to 2022 in the first paragraph)
($1 = 0.8748 pounds)