Former UK PM asks successor about pressing German chancellor to supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles

Former UK prime minister and Conservative party leader Rishi Sunak has spoken of the need to continue supporting Ukraine and keep up sanctions pressure on Russia at Keir Starmer’s first Prime Minister's Questions.

Sunak expressed his gratitude to Starmer for maintaining a "cross-party consensus on important matters of foreign policy", focusing on support for Ukraine.

"The UK has consistently been the first country to provide new capabilities to Ukraine, such as the long-range weapons that have been used so effectively in the Black Sea. Now those decisions aren’t easy, and I was grateful to the Prime Minister for his support as I made those decisions in government. And in opposition, I offer that same support to him," Sunak said.

Sunak then stressed the UK’s key role as the country that encourages other allies to "follow our lead in providing new military capabilities", recalling a recent meeting between Keir Starmer and Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany.

"I’m sure he thanked him [Scholz – ed.] for the considerable air defence that the Germans are providing the Ukrainians. But did he also raise the issue of the Germans perhaps providing long-range missiles, just as the UK, America and France have now done?" Sunak asked.

Starmer replied that he had raised the question of increasing aid for Ukraine with all the allies at the NATO Summit.

"Part of my message was to urge all of our allies to provide further support where they can. That was well-received. There was unity coming out of the NATO Council, and that’s what we must all do," Starmer summed up.

As is known, the UK and France were the first to provide long-range Storm Shadow missiles for Ukraine. After that, the US unblocked the supply of long-range ATACMS missiles.

Germany still opposes supplying Ukraine with German Taurus long-range missiles, fearing escalation from Moscow.