News - World: Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to use his first major foreign policy speech to vow commitment to sustaining and possibly stepping up military aid to Ukraine.

"We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes," read an excerpt of a speech, which Sunak's is slated to deliver in London's financial district on Monday. "We will maintain or increase our military aid next year. And we will provide new support for air defense," the excerpt read.

"Under my leadership, we won't choose the status quo. We will do things differently...," the PM is also set to assert during the upcoming speech, expounding further on his foreign policy.

"And it means standing up to our competitors, not with grand rhetoric but with robust pragmatism."

Russia started a military campaign in its southern neighbor Ukraine in February. It says it launched the operation in order to defend the pro-Russian population in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk against persecution by Kiev.

Ever since the beginning of the war, Kiev's allies have been pouring advanced weapons into Ukraine, a move that Russia says would only prolong the conflict.

The United Kingdom has so far during the conflict established itself as Ukraine's most dedicated and steadfast arms supporter after the United States.

British officials admitted to this, themselves, back in September, saying the country had provided as much as 2.3 billion pounds ($2.8 billion) in military aid to Kiev this year.

Sunak met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a visit to the Ukrainian capital Kiev earlier this month, alleging that Britain “will continue to stand with you... until Ukraine has won the peace and security it needs and deserves.”

Source: Press TV