U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in his New Year message that Britain would continue to stand with Ukraine against Russian "barbaric and illegal invasion" of Ukraine in 2023.
“2023 will give us an opportunity to showcase the very best of Britain on the world stage, continuing to stand with our Ukrainian friends against Putin’s brutality, and defending freedom and democracy wherever we find it under threat,” Sunak said.
The U.K. provided $2.8 billion (£2.3 billion) in military aid to Ukraine in 2022, which is more than any other nation except for the U.S.
Sunak’s government has committed to sustaining the same level of funding to Ukraine in 2023, the UK’s Defense Secretary Ben Wallace announced on Dec. 29.
Sunak made his first official visit to Ukraine as prime minister, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, on Nov. 19.