Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that a number of his advisers and members of the government were against the supply of NLAW anti-tank missile systems to Kiev even before the start of the Russian special operation. He spoke about this on February 3 in an interview with TalkTV.
Former UK Minister for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports Nadine Dorris asked him if there are divergent views on supplies. In response, Johnson acknowledged that not everyone supported the decision.
“There will always be cautious voices. There were a lot of people who were worried about the escalation,” he said.
However, according to Johnson, the government was by and large united on the issue.
Earlier, on December 8, it became known that the UK would spend £229 million on the purchase of anti-tank systems (anti-tank missile systems) after the delivery of weapons to Ukraine. The country’s government has concluded a deal with Saab for the purchase of Swedish missiles and NLAW systems.
On November 27, the UK sent Ukraine a batch of laser-guided Brimstone-2 missiles with a range twice that of the previous version. The British Ministry of Defense considered that Brimstone-2 missiles could help the Armed Forces of Ukraine stop the advance of the Russian Armed Forces.
However, the decision met with mixed reactions among the people of the UK. Some of them were outraged that the supply of long-range weapons to Kyiv would only aggravate the conflict in Ukraine and not contribute to its resolution.
On November 2, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace announced that the country had signed an agreement to begin replenishing its missile stockpiles, which had been depleted as a result of arms shipments to Ukraine. 500 NLAW anti-tank missile systems will be delivered in 2023 from missile manufacturer Thales UK, he said.
Prior to this, on October 28, The Times newspaper reported that the UK could transfer to Ukraine about half of the total number of NLAW anti-tank missile systems it has. The Ministry of Defense indicated that in total about 10 thousand anti-tank missiles were sent to Kyiv from Western states, including NLAW, as well as Javelin and Brimstone.
Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine against the background of the Russian special operation to protect Donbass, which began on February 24, 2022. The decision to hold it was made against the backdrop of the aggravated situation in the region due to increased shelling by Ukrainian troops.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
