The BBC has reported that prime minister Rishi Sunak has asked for an audit of progress to be carried out regarding the war in Ukraine.
The UK has been one of Ukraine’s biggest suppliers of military aid since Russia launched its invasion in February.
Now, one of the BBC’s sources within Whitehall has said that Sunak has requested the audit to gauge the significance of UK contributions to the war effort.
“This is about looking at what we have put in, what we have got out,” said the source.
Despite the audit, sources from within Downing Street have suggested that the PM remains committed to aiding Ukraine.
The UK government's support for Ukraine is unwavering,” said a source from within Number 10.
However, the BBC reports that there are concerns from within Whitehall that Sunak could be mirroring US president Joe Biden's caution over continual armament of Ukraine.
President Biden is known to be concerned about continuing with consistent and intense military support for Ukraine, amid fear of provoking a Russian backlash against the West and instigating a wider global conflict.
The US Congress has approved in principle a move for the Pentagon to purchase more weapons for Ukraine, but supplies may not arrive on the frontline in time for Ukrainian defence forces to launch an offensive in the Spring of 2023.
It is reported that with the war in Ukraine now said to have reached a critical juncture, senior figures within Whitehall are in favour of doubling down on support for Ukraine rather than approaching aid in a tentative way.
A Whitehall source told the BBC: “We have stiffened the US resolve at all levels - pressure from us but always friendly. We don't want Rishi (Sunak) to reinforce Biden's caution. We want him to be pushing in the way Boris did.”
The BBC’s sources from within Whitehall have also disclosed that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is aware that the audit has been requested by the UK.
“President Zelensky has sensed what is going on. So, he has been talking to Rishi. He is trying to inspire him, saying the UK are the great liberators, the great fighters. We need you. Rise to that.”
Chief of defence staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin has also attempted to rally the charges in support of Ukraine, informing the Royal United Services Institute that Russia's weapons supply had been exhausted and the conflict had reached an impasse, providing a golden opportunity to tip the balance.
Admiral Sir Tony said: “Extraordinary times call for an extraordinary response. This explains why Russia is losing. And the free world is winning...Providing we maintain our cohesion and resolve, the real victory within our grasp is much more significant.”
However, it is no secret that Ukraine will rely on assistance from the US, UK and Europe to build-up its arsenal of weaponry.
Ukraine’s General Valery Zaluzhny, who leads the country’s armed forces, also issued a rallying cry to allies for further weaponry this week.
Speaking to the Economist, he said: “I know that I can beat this enemy. But I need resources. I need 300 tanks, 600-700 infantry fighting vehicles], 500 Howitzers.”
Image by Rory Arnold / No10 Downing Street - , OGL 3, on Wikimedia Commons
