British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged Thursday to continue to support Kyiv's government and make sure it has what it needs for a successful counteroffensive, adding that Ukraine's "rightful place" is in NATO.
Sunak pointed to the UK's move to provide longer-range weapons to the country. Speaking at the European Political Summit in Moldova, he said the UK was "also the first country to provide battle tanks — I'm proud of that record."
The prime minister said he wanted to put in place security for Ukraine for the long term so that a “very strong signal” is sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We are not going anywhere, we are here to stay and we will continue backing Ukraine, not just now but for years into the future and he needs to know that and we are sending that signal of support," he said.
Some background: In May, the United Kingdom delivered multiple “Storm Shadow” cruise missiles to Ukraine, giving Kyiv a new long-range strike capability in advance of a highly anticipated counteroffensive against Russian forces.