UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps has called on European countries to increase their assistance to Ukraine in the face of the escalating situation. In an interview with the BBC, he noted that the UK has already allocated 2.5 billion pounds to help, and now expects other European countries to step up.

Shapps noted that it is necessary that not only the United States but also Europe make efforts to ensure that Ukraine can continue to defend its borders on its own. He noted that the United Kingdom has already raised the level of support for Ukraine to record levels in response to the challenge of the Houthis incident in the Red Sea.

The bilateral security agreement signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak marks a new stage in relations between the two countries. This is the first security agreement within the framework of the measures agreed upon during the NATO Summit in Vilnius between Ukraine, the G7 members and the states that have joined these measures.

According to the agreement, the UK's commitments will remain in effect until Ukraine joins NATO. If this accession occurs before the agreement expires, the commitments will be completed and integrated into the Alliance's system. The document also provides for intelligence sharing, cybersecurity assistance, and military training.

According to Babel, Ukraine's other Western partners are also considering similar agreements. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal emphasized that this agreement is only the beginning, and Ukraine hopes to conclude similar agreements with 30 other countries, given their support for the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine.