This month, 1,000 people chose to support the Kyiv Independent. Can we count on you, too?
Become a member
Skip to content
Edit post

UK Foreign Secretary: Support for Ukraine will continue for years, not subject of controversy as in US

by Nate Ostiller January 10, 2024 10:24 AM 2 min read
President Volodymyr Zelensky meets U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Kyiv on Nov. 16, 2023. (Office of the President of Ukraine)
This audio is created with AI assistance

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Jan. 9 that support for Ukraine within the country is bipartisan and not controversial as in the U.S., and that the U.K. is ready to help for many years to come.

The U.S.'s role in supporting Ukraine has increasingly become a partisan issue, with Democrats largely in favor of continued aid compared to growing skepticism in parts of the Republican party.

Cameron's comments came during a Foreign Affairs Committee meeting, his first since being appointed as Foreign Secretary in November. The meeting was largely dominated by discussion about the Israel-Hamas conflict, which Cameron lamented was "taking attention away from Ukraine."

"It is the job of the strongest supporters of Ukraine, of which I would say the U.K. is rightly one, to do everything we can to keep it as high up the agenda as possible," he added.

When asked about the possibility that the 2024 U.S. presidential election may harm Western support for Ukraine, Cameron said he was confident that the U.K. would be able to ensure its long-term commitment because it is a not "an issue of contention in British politics, whereas it is a little bit more in American politics and in some European countries."

"We are prepared to support Ukraine through 2024, 2025, 2026....because this is absolutely the challenge of our generation," he added.

Cameron also emphasized that the U.K., along with Ukraine's other Western allies, must step up their military production to match the growing trend of Russia being transformed into a wartime economy.

The combined GDPs of the pro-Ukraine coalition "outrank Russia 25-1," Cameron said, "so it should not be impossible for us to get on a sufficient industrialized footing" to compete with Russia's increased capacity.

The coalition still "really needs the Americans to come forward with their ($61.4 billion) package" because the combined total of the U.K. and EU's military support for Ukraine is roughly equal to that of the U.S. alone.

Other European leaders have echoed that the EU cannot alone make up for a significant decrease in U.S. aid to Ukraine.

Cameron said he was "pretty confident" that the U.S. would eventually approve the package, which was blocked by Senate Republicans in December, because "ultimately there is a majority in Congress for it."

The U.S. aid package, which was rejected largely over unrelated domestic political disputes, will likely come to another vote in the coming weeks.

Ukraine war latest: Defense minister, top commanders visit eastern front; drone reportedly hits oil depot in Russia
Key developments on Jan. 9: * Umerov, Zaluzhnyi, General Staff chief and commanders visit army positions near Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast * Drones reportedly hit oil depot, energy provider in western Russia, according to Russian officials’ claims * Media: Ukrainian hackers hit Russian internet pr…

Let’s see how far we can go?
We’ve been amazed by your support. We’ve reached our initial goal of finding 1,000 new paying members. We still have till the end of our birthday campaign — with more support, we can do even more good journalism. Over 13,000 people are standing behind us. Can we count on you, too?
Show us support this birthday month
Become a member
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.