Marking the second year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the British government announced on the 24th a military supplies support package worth 245 million pounds (about 413.5 billion won) to strengthen Ukraine’s artillery supply chain.
“The UK will spend to establish and enable supply chains to produce the urgently needed artillery shells to increase Ukraine’s stockpiles,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shacks explained this support measure as “increasing the stockpile of artillery shells, which are very important to Ukraine.” The British government announced in January this year that it had decided to increase military support to 2.5 billion pounds, 200 million pounds more than the previous year.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunnack said in a statement on the 23rd, “Now is the time to once again state that we will continue to stand with Ukraine. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes until they win, no matter how long it takes.”
Regarding the UK’s plan to strengthen its artillery supply chain, CNN reported that it comes at a time when new funding for Ukraine from the US appears to be mired in uncertainty.
Last week, the U.S. Senate passed a $95.3 billion foreign aid bill with bipartisan support, including $60 billion to support Ukraine. But House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said he had no plans to introduce the bill to Congress, which is holding off on processing it for two weeks.
Meanwhile, Canada announced additional sanctions against 10 individuals and 153 entities in connection with Russia’s “illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine.”
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolly said in a statement released on the 23rd (local time), “These sanctions target individuals and organizations that support the Russian military through finance, logistics, and sanctions evasion.”
The targets of these sanctions, implemented in cooperation with the US and British governments, include aides to Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior officials of private and state-owned companies registered in Russia and Cyprus.
“Most of the companies subject to sanctions are part of the Russian military-industrial complex and provide research and development, production, repair and other goods and services to the Russian Defense Ministry,” said Minister Jolly. “We provide insurance and retail services to the Russian Ministry of Defense.”
“Canada’s sanctions can now target anyone outside of Canada who violates Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, not just Canadians,” Jolly said in a statement. “It also includes people who help,” he said.
Canada also announced a ban on exports to Russia of designated goods that could be used to manufacture weapons and fight against Ukraine. According to the statement, the export ban applies to explosives, including detonators, used in the mining and construction industries.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.