Rishi Sunak is paying an unexpected visit to Ukraine to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky, with the UK announcing it will give Ukraine £2.5 billion in military aid over the next year.
It comes only hours after the prime minister ordered strikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen, as Britain joined the US in Red Sea military action.
On Thursday night, Mr. Sunak informed his cabinet about the strikes.
In an unusual step, the government also alerted John Healy, the shadow defence secretary, and Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party.
The Ukraine visit comes as the Mr Zelensky pushes allies in the West to give his country more support to fight back against Russian forces, amid fears interest in the war is flagging.
After G7 nations decided to sign bilateral security assurances with Ukraine at last year’s NATO summit, the PM and Mr. Zelensky will use the one-day visit to sign a new UK-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation.
The new £2.5 billion financing package will raise support by £200 million over the previous two years and cover long-range missiles, air defence, artillery ammunition, and maritime security.
Around £200m would also be spent on a campaign to buy and construct thousands of military drones, which the government said was the greatest transfer of drones to Ukraine from any nation. The majority should be produced in the UK.
During the visit, the PM will meet with emergency workers from Ukraine, and Mr. Sunak is anticipated to offer an additional £18 million in aid. According to No. 10, funding and materials will also be made available for English language instruction across the nation.