NATO 'more confident and more united than ever,' says British premier

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - NATO is "more confident and more united than ever," said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday.

During a press conference in Lithuania's capital Vilnius, Sunak said NATO has taken a "big step" in its support for Ukraine.

He strongly condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine, describing it as "500 days of brutal and inhumane actions."

Despite the challenges, he said Ukraine remains resilient and unwavering in its stance.

Sunak said the UK is the foremost European contributor to NATO, expressing his gratitude for the British people's "unwavering support."

Sunak also applauded the G7's commitment to bolstering Ukraine's security, but highlighted that the UK has taken the lead in several initiatives to assist Ukraine.

He said the UK will commence training Ukrainian pilots starting next month.

When asked whether Ukraine has shown enough gratitude to its allies, Sunak said: "President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy has repeatedly expressed his gratitude to me and to the British people and indeed other allies as well."

"He did it very movingly in parliament when he was in the UK earlier this year," he added.

On another question on whether the current escalation could lead to World War III, Sunak said: "I think the only person who’s responsible for this conflict is [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin. [He] is engaged in an unprovoked, illegal invasion of another country violating their territorial integrity and sovereignty, that is a flagrant breach of international law and the UN Charter."

He added: "The person who can quickly end this war is President Putin and by withdrawing his forces [and] recognizing what he’s doing is wrong."​​​​​​​

NATO's two-day Vilnius summit concluded on Wednesday with strong support for Ukraine as allies agreed on a three-part package "to bring Ukraine closer to the alliance," while G-7 countries signed a joint declaration on Kyiv's security guarantees.