Rishi Sunak pushes for Ukraine charter and long-range missiles for Kyiv

British PM calls on allies to 'seize the moment' as war reaches an inflection point

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the Munich Security Conference said that Ukraine must be given 'advanced Nato-standard capabilities' to protect cities such as Bakhmut. EPA

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called for a Nato charter to guarantee support for Ukraine, telling an international conference that Britain would be a supplier of long-range missiles to aid a counter-offensive by Kyiv.

"We need to do more to bolster Ukraine’s long-term security," he said at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

"We must give them the advanced Nato-standard capabilities that they need for the future.

"And we must demonstrate that we’ll remain by their side, willing and able to help them defend their country again and again."

The Prime Minister said he hoped the coming Nato summit in Vilnius would build long-term assurances. "Our aim should be to forge a new charter in Vilnius to help protect Ukraine from future Russian aggression," he said.

Mr Sunak said Ukraine's forces had reached an inflection point in the battle against Russian troops and called on fellow leaders at the summit to “double down” on military support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It was important to ensure a "decisive advantage on the battlefield", he said.

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  Turkeysold its Bayraktar TB2 armed drones to Ukraine. They can fly at an altitude of 7,500 metres and swoop down to attack targets. AFP

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  The US also gave 700 of its Switchblade kamikaze drones. AP

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  Cheap commercial drones like the DJI Mavic series have been modified in Ukraine. AFP

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  Germany will follow the US in providing a Patriot missile defence system, pictured above, to Ukraine. Reuters

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  FIM-92 Stinger rockets have been donated to help Ukrainian infantry engage aircraft and drones. The shoulder-launched missiles can shoot down aircraft. Photo: US Army

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  Germany donated 25 Flakpanzer Gepard all-weather-capable self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. AFP

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  The High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or Himars, can simultaneously launch several precision-guided missiles. The US has given Ukraine projectiles with a range of about 130 kilometres. EPA

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  M777 howitzers and about 300,000 shells have been donated to give Ukraine an accurate artillery platform with a range of 50 kilometres. EPA

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  Ukraine has been sent at least 5,000 of the anti-tank weapons known as NLAWs. These shoulder-launched rockets have proved deadly in the field. PA

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  Ukrainian troops have also received thousands of Javelin anti-tank missiles. Bloomberg

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  Poland and the Czech Republic sent Russian-made T72 tanks, which Ukraine has used for decades, to ease integration and cut down training time. EPA

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  France as announced its plan to give AMX-10 RC “scout tanks” to Ukraine. "This is the first time that western-made armoured vehicles are being delivered in support of the Ukrainian army," a French official said. AFP

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  Shortly after the French, the US said it would send Bradley fighting vehicles to provide "a level of firepower and armour that would bring advantages on the battlefield”. Reuters

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  The UK sent their phased-out Saxon armoured vehicles. They found new life protecting infantry units in transit and dealing with tough off-road conditions. Getty Images

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  Denmark has supplied Harpoon anti-ship launchers to help Ukraine defend its coasts. AFP

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  The US sent 20 Soviet and Russian made Mi-17 helicopters to Ukraine that had initially been bought for the Afghan government in 2010. AP

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  Germany has also supplied its latest version of the IRIS-T air defence system designed to shoot down missiles at altitudes up to 20 kilometres. Getty Images

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  Ukraine has also been given thousands of small arms, bullet proof vests, medical kits, litres of fuel, granades and other weapons systems. Reuters

"That would be my pitch to everyone - do what we are doing, join the countries that are providing that support, intensifying and accelerating it now," he said. "I think the alternative is far worse.

"We are all united in wanting Ukraine to win and if there's an opportunity to do that sooner, and take advantage of the moment that we have, why would we not seize it? What are we waiting for?"

The idea of a new charter or framework to sustain and build the alliance with Ukraine was welcomed by Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary general, in his remarks to the Munich Security conference on Saturday. He said President Vladimir Putin was preparing Russia for a long war by building up his military to sustain the fighting.

“There are no indications he has changed his ambitions,” Mr Stoltenberg was expected to tell the Munich conference later Saturday, according to a text of his remarks.

“He is mobilising hundreds of thousands of troops, increasingly putting the Russian economy on a war footing and reaching out to other authoritarian regimes, such as Iran and North Korea, to get more weapons.”

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attends a question and answer session after speaking at the Munich Security Conference . AFP

In her panel the EU president Ursula von der Leyen suggested delivery of the Covid vaccine could serve as a model for how to rapidly expand armaments production to boost Ukraine's arsenal and those of its donor countries.

“We could think of, for example, advanced purchase agreements that give the defence industry the possibility to invest in production lines now to be faster and to increase the amount they can deliver,” she said.

Officials warn Ukraine is currently using ammunition faster than Western countries are able to produce and supply it.

“It is now the time to speed up the production and to scale up the production of standardised products [like ammunition] that Ukraine needs desperately,” she said.

In an apparent attempt to encourage others to offer long-term training to Kyiv’s armed forces, Mr Sunak added Ukrainians were fighting for the security of all nations.

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  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks via video link to the Munich Security Conference. Getty Images

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  US Vice President Kamala Harris meets with French President Emmanuel Macron. Reuters

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  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Reuters

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  Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of NATO, talks to the media. Getty Images

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  Mr Macron delivers a speech. AFP

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  Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz gives a speech. AP

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  Chairman of the Munich Security Conference Christoph Heusgen opens the conference. AFP

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  Mr Macron shakes hands with the Czech Republic's President-elect Petr Pavel, during a bilateral meeting. AFP

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  Annalena Baerbock arrives. AP

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  German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius speaks to journalists before the conference. Getty Images

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  Antony Blinken arrives at the airport. AP

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  Police dog Basco searches the area outside the Bayerischer Hof hotel, before the start of the conference. Reuters

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  US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry arrives. AFP

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  A police officer uses a mirror to check a car's undercarriage near the Bayerischer Hof hotel. EPA

“What is at stake in this war is even greater than the security and sovereignty of one nation. It’s about the security and sovereignty of every nation," he added. “Because Russia’s invasion, its abhorrent war crimes and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric are symptomatic of a broader threat to everything we believe in.

“When Putin started this war, he gambled that our resolve would falter. Even now he is betting we will lose our nerve. But we proved him wrong then, and we will prove him wrong now.”

Beyond Nato considerations, Mr Sunak argued that securing a lasting peace for Ukraine would also require international law to be strengthened.

With the first anniversary of the conflict approaching, he will also press for a new plan to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty in the future.

The intervention follows Mr Zelenskyy’s visit to Britain, Paris and Brussels last week, when he made the case for fighter planes.

Mr Sunak used Mr Zelenskyy’s visit to announce a two-pronged approach to support for Ukraine, offering military kit immediately to fend off a Russian offensive and preparing its forces for the longer term, but not the requested planes.

To coincide with the war leader’s momentous trip, the UK government announced that Britain would extend its training mission — under which 10,000 Ukrainian troops have already come to the UK — to cover fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine can defend its skies using “Nato tactics” in the future.

The training of pilots is expected to commence in the spring, according to Downing Street officials.