Allies need to start with spending minimum of 2% of their GDP on defense, says Rishi Sunak
LONDON
NATO must learn lessons from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “barbaric tactics” in Ukraine, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday.
“When thousands of Russian troops crossed the border in February last year, it marked a grim new chapter in Europe and NATO’s history,” he said in a statement ahead of the NATO leaders’ summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
“In the 500 days that have elapsed since we have witnessed the most terrible crimes and human tragedies in Ukraine. But we have also seen the NATO alliance come together like never before in support of Ukraine and with firm determination that Russia cannot succeed.
“That is why the UK is investing record amounts in defense, to make our Armed Forces more lethal and more deployable, and to ready our defense industry ready for the challenges ahead,” Sunak added.
He said that at the NATO summit, allies “need to go further – starting with every country finally spending a minimum of 2 per cent of their GDP on defence.”
Sunak will specifically call on allies to channel efforts into ensuring armed forces can respond more rapidly, the statement said.
“We are ready to operate across every domain and our defense industries are prepared to dramatically scale-up production in times of crisis,” the UK premier said.
The UK prime minister is also expected to confirm an eight-fold increase in the UK’s production capacity of 155mm artillery ammunition.
“Most NATO armies use this as standard, and a new £190 million BAE Systems contract – possible thanks to our defense spending uplift – will lead to the production of vastly more artillery shells for use by the UK and other allied forces,” he added.
“This investment will make us safer and will create more than 100 jobs at BAE Systems’ sites in the North of England and South Wales – boosting their existing 1,200-strong UK munitions workforce,” Sunak said.
