Rishi Sunak to join world leaders for security conference

Ben Wallace will join fellow defence ministers for a Nato meeting in Brussels on Wednesday

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. PA
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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to attend a conference on international security with other world leaders this weekend in Munich.

The meeting comes a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy toured London, Paris and Brussels to convince allies to arm Kyiv with fighter planes.

Downing Street confirmed on Tuesday that Mr Sunak will travel to Germany for the gathering.

Last year the conference was held in the days leading up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Then-prime minister Boris Johnson used that event to warn Moscow that the West would stand with Ukraine in the event of an invasion.

Mr Sunak’s attendance at the conference would come amid speculation that London and Brussels are close to reaching a deal over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

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Attendance at the summit may provide a chance for the British leader to hold talks with EU leaders and try to to end the row over post-Brexit arrangements in the region.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace will also join fellow ministers for a Nato meeting in Brussels on Wednesday.

That meeting comes amid new tension with China after the US shot down four balloons flying in its airspace this month, with Washington declaring one of them to be a piece of Chinese spyware.

The UK is reviewing its own security measures after the incidents.

Everything you need to know about Rishi Sunak - video

Everything you need to know about Rishi Sunak

He has been a UK member of Parliament since 2015

Mr Wallace, who met his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov on Tuesday, said that western allies would continue to “stand in solidarity” with the war-torn country.

“I am very pleased to be back at Nato to continue the vital work to support Ukraine, as well as meeting with my defence counterparts," he said.

“Our important work is ongoing, the UK and our Allies will stand in solidarity with Ukraine for as long as it takes."

Updated: February 14, 2023, 10:37 PM