Germany’s new chancellor will visit Boris Johnson as the Nato allies plan how to give Ukraine greater military firepower to help it defeat Russia’s “barbaric” invasion.
It is believed that the prime minister is wanting to arm the devastated country with anti-ship missiles to attack Russian warships, which are now attacking the critical port of Odesa.
Ukraine’s foreign minister has also revealed that some western nations have “agreed for the first time to send tanks and heavy armour” – predicting an announcement “this week”.
Now Mr Johnson will host Olaf Scholz and Polish president Andrzej Duda as he “galvanises the tough and decisive response” to Vladimir Putin’s aggression, Downing Street has said.
Speaking as Nato marks its 73rd anniversary on Monday, Mr Johnson hailed the Ukrainian people for fighting for freedom “with every fibre of their being”.
“We have a responsibility to give them everything they need to face down this barbaric attempt to subjugate the Ukrainian people,” he said.
“As the largest European contributor to the alliance and as a staunch friend to Ukraine, the UK will continue to do just that.”
Last week, the cabinet discussed “a new phase” to the UK’s military support, but No 10 declined to reveal any details amid ongoing fears of provoking a wider conflict with Moscow.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, said he and Mr Johnson had “agreed on new defensive support” during a phone call on Saturday evening.
“New package. Very, very tangible support. Thank you Boris for the leadership! Historical leadership. I’m sure of it,” Mr Zelensky said.
Earlier, Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, told Times Radio: “We will be receiving tanks shortly. I cannot say any more now, but it will be in the news this week.”
He spoke as missiles struck near Odesa, evidence of fresh Russian aggression even as its forces fell back from around the capital, Kyiv.
Critical infrastructure was hit, according to local officials, as Russia said it had destroyed an oil processing plant and three fuel depots.
Mr Johnson is also announcing the appointment of one of his top foreign policy advisers, David Quarrey, as the UK’s next permanent representative to Nato.
Mr Quarrey is currently the deputy national security adviser, and is a past ambassador to Israel as well as a former Foreign Office director for the Middle East and north Africa.
No 10 says the UK has supplied 6,000 missiles, 4,000 anti-tank weapons, and Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles to bolster Ukrainian defences.
Troop presence in Estonia has been doubled, while HMS Trent and HMS Diamond have been deployed to the eastern Mediterranean and RAF Typhoons have been sent to patrol the skies of Romania and Poland.
