Spending more on military aid to Ukraine will cut energy bills, minister says
The government’s promise to provide at least £2.3bn of military aid to Ukraine next year will help ease the cost of living crisis, the culture secretary said.
Michelle Donelan told Sky News that the aid would help to reduce fuel costs in the UK and said that the government will reveal how it will pay for the pledge.
Liz Truss, the prime minister, announced the commitment overnight on Monday to match the support next year that it has provided to Ukraine this year.
She was on her way to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, her first overseas trip as prime minister.
The UK is the second biggest military donor to Ukraine, committing £2.3bn this year to provide hundreds of rockets, air defence systems and other military equipment.
Ms Donelan told Kay Burley on Sky News: “We believe it is fundamentally important that we’re standing up for democracy, that we’re continuing to protect Ukraine in their fight, that we’re standing up for the rest of the world who needs to end their global dependence on Russia, which is one of the factors behind the increasing price in fuel.
“So this is actually going to help the cost of living of people, not just in the UK, but across the globe as well.
“And we hope that other countries will see what we’re doing and follow our example.
“We will outline exactly where that money is coming from.”
She said she did not want to “pre-empt” exactly what the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, will announce in Friday’s “mini budget”.
Ms Donelan also rejected any suggestion that the cost-of-living crisis would force a re-think of the UK’s strategy in Ukraine.
“We are not re-evaluating our support in the Ukraine, we are doubling down on our support in the Ukraine.”
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James Murray, the shadow financial secretary to the Treasury, said that it was “absolutely right that we give all the support we can” to Ukraine and stop Mr Putin “using energy as a weapon”.
But he questioned whether the government had a concrete plan for supporting Ukraine.
“I think there does need to be a strategy as well – alongside pledges of money and support – that needs to be a long- term strategy,” he told Sky News.
“And that includes, of course, a plan for energy in the UK because Putin is using energy as a weapon.
“And we need to make sure that people here are protected through the winter and beyond as energy price rises increase.”
He added that the government needed to prioritise getting the British people through “the difficult months ahead”.
