The UK Treasury has signaled that there is no money for defense despite recognizing the urgent need to rearm in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Sky News reported on Sunday citing defense sources.
Britain will be unable to offer as many troops as NATO allies would expect to a major new force structure being drawn up by the alliance to bolster its defenses, the report added.
The comments came after Sky News last week revealed that a senior US general had told Defence Secretary Ben Wallace that the British Army is no longer regarded as a top level, or “tier one”, fighting force following decades of cuts to its size and strength.
It is pertinent to note here that earlier on February 4, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and the two agreed on the importance of the international community speeding up assistance for Ukraine.
“The Prime Minister said he was focused on ensuring the UK’s defensive military equipment reached the front line as quickly as possible,” Sunak’s office said in a statement.
“Both leaders agreed that it was vital that international partners accelerated their assistance to Ukraine to help seize the opportunity to push Russian forces back,” the British statement added.
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