UK puts its defense industry on 'war footing' as it gives Ukraine $620 million in new military aid
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, right, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, left, arrive together at the Armourd Brigade barracks in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, April 23, 2024.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Tuesday that the country is putting its defense industry on a "war footing" by increasing defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by the end of the decade, amid NATO concerns of possible repercussions of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Sunak made the announcement to increase spending to well above the 2% target set by NATO during a visit to the Polish capital, Warsaw. It came on the heels of a new pledge to send arms worth 500 million pounds ($620 million) to Ukraine, including missiles, armored vehicles and ammunition.
He described the increased spending as the "biggest strengthening of our national defense for a generation."
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