Britain may stop sending military and financial aid to Ukraine because of an ongoing economic crisis. The Sunday Times recently reported that London’s aid to the war-torn former Soviet Republic would dry up by the end of 2022.

Since February 24, 2022, the Government of Britain has allocated more than GBP 2.3 billion (USD 2.7 billion) in military aid to Ukraine. The Ukrainian Forces are using the M-270 multiple launch rocket system, Brimstone-1 short-range missiles, Mastiff armoured vehicles and NLAW anti-tank missiles, supplied by Britain, to deter Russian aggression. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy in Kiev, to discuss various aspects of bilateral ties in April. Johnson also announced that he would stand by Ukraine in every possible way to prevent Russian aggression.

However, the Sunday Times, citing a British Government source, has claimed that soaring prices and the ongoing financial crisis prompted the Government to change its decision. Hence, it would not be possible for London to fulfil the promise made by former Prime Minister Johnson. The British Government has decided to maintain an 18% economic growth in early 2023. To achieve this target, the Government would have to lower the amount of aid given to Ukraine. “The reality is that the UK’s financial contribution to the war effort will have dried up by the end of the year. This means that the new Prime Minister will very soon face the question of whether to commit billions of pounds of additional support at a time when the public finances are under intense strain,” the Sunday Times article quoted the defence source as saying.

Furthermore, nearly 50,000 Ukrainian refugees, who have taken shelter in the UK, may become homeless in 2023! As per a report published in The Guardian, the UK Government has hinted that it may suspend the Homes for Ukraine project in the coming days, with no alternate housing solution in place. Experts are of the opinion that the refugee crisis could lead to a terrible spike in homelessness in Britain, with the war between Russia and Ukraine stretching on for more than seven months.

Since the beginning of the war, the European Union (EU) has announced two major packages of EUR 330 million (USD 353 million) and EUR 500 million (USD 535 million) in humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, while the US has announced several packages of emergency funding, with the latest worth USD 40 billion. However, Germany has been relatively generous in supplying aid, with a recent EUR 1 billion grant.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das