UK to put economy on a military footing, plans to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 - Sunak
Kyiv • UNN
The United Kingdom plans to increase defense spending to a new minimum threshold of 2.5% by 2030, allocating an additional $93 billion over six years to the production of munitions and drones, as one of the main lessons of the war in Ukraine is the need for deeper stockpiles of ammunition and the ability to replenish them quickly.
The United Kingdom will put its defense industry on a military track and plans to increase defense spending to a new minimum threshold of 2.5% by 2030. This was stated by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at a press conference in Poland together with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. The politician's words were quoted by Reuters, according to UNN.
One of the main lessons of the war in Ukraine is that we need deeper stockpiles of ammunition and the industry should be able to replenish them faster.
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Sunak also said that Britain plans to increase defense spending to a new minimum threshold of 2.5% by 2030. This means allocating an additional $93 billion over six years for the production of ammunition and drones.
The British Prime Minister said that one of the main lessons of the war in Ukraine is that countries need deeper stockpiles of ammunition and the ability to replenish them more quickly.
In a world that is the most dangerous since the end of the Cold War, we cannot be complacent. ... As our adversaries unite, we must do more to protect our country, our interests and our values.
The ruling Conservative Party of the United Kingdom is pressuring the prime minister to increase defense spending as quickly as possible.
It is noted that the new commitments will lead to an increase in defense spending for 2028/2029 from about £73.8 billion to £78.2 billion, which will be partially financed by the previously announced plan to reduce the size of the civil service.
Earlier this month, the opposition Labor Party said it would strive to reach the 2.5% target "as soon as resources allow.
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The UK is one of the most active supporters of Ukraine. The news of the increased defense spending followed Sunak's pledge to increase military support to Ukraine by 500 million pounds to bring the total for this fiscal year to 3 billion pounds. He also said that financial support from Britain would continue at least at current levels for the rest of the decade, or as long as it is needed.
The decision was welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked Sunak for it on Tuesday.
