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LONDON, Nov 27 (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans on Monday to pledge to maintain or increase military aid to Ukraine next year, and will face international competitors “not with grandiose rhetoric but with strong pragmatism.”
Despite upheaval in recent months, the British government’s support for Ukraine has remained unchanged since Boris Johnson was replaced as Prime Minister by Liz Truss and then Sunak.
However, some conservatives see Sunak as less hokey on China than Truce — though a planned meeting between Sunak and Chinese President Xi Jinping at this month’s G20 summit in Bali fell through, and last week London banned Chinese-made security cameras on sensitive government buildings.
“Under my leadership we will not choose the status quo. We will do things differently,” Sunk said in an extract released by his office from his first major foreign policy speech, which he plans to deliver on Monday in London’s financial district.
Sunak said his priorities would be “freedom, openness and the rule of law”.
EU officials have questioned whether Britain under Johnson is truly committed to its Brexit legal agreements, particularly regarding Northern Ireland.
On Ukraine, Sunak signaled no change in policy followed by Johnson and Truss.
“We will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes. We will maintain or increase our military assistance next year. And we will provide new assistance for air defense,” he said.
Britain said in September it was the second-largest military donor to Ukraine after the United States, providing 2.3 billion pounds ($2.8 billion) in aid this year.
Sunak said Britain needed to take the same long-term approach as its rivals and competitors, whom he did not directly name in extracts from the speech, and that Britain should take “an evolutionary leap” in its approach to foreign policy.
“It means delivering a strong economy at home – because that is the foundation of our strength abroad. And it means standing up to our competitors, not with grandiose rhetoric but with strong pragmatism,” he said.
Sunak has previously described China as a “systemic challenge” and “the single greatest state threat to our economic security”.
($1 = 0.8288 pounds)
Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by David Gregorio
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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