Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Russia: Armed Forces

Monday 14 October 2024 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Russia's declared total military expenditure was around 4.7% of GDP in 2022 and increased to 5.9% in 2023, with a forecast of up to 7% in the current year.
  • The Government has 1 billion worth of contracts for replenishing UK stockpiles, with 60% of the production taking place in the UK.
  • The Secretary of State expressed confidence in the long-term commitment of NATO and allied nations to support Ukraine, citing a recent US-led meeting in Ramstein.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Julian Lewis Con New Forest East
Ukraine Defence Foreign Affairs
Context

The question arises from the need to understand Russia's capacity for continuing its invasion of Ukraine, based on recent estimates of their military spending.

Question

What recent estimate his Department has made of the percentage of Russia's gross domestic product spent on its armed forces in each year since the invasion of Ukraine?

Answer from John Healey

Russia's declared total military expenditure was around 4.7% of GDP in 2022. In 2023 it was 5.9% of GDP, and the forecast spending this year is up to around 7% of GDP.

Answered
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Q2 Julian Lewis Con New Forest East
Ukraine Defence Economy
Context

The question stems from the need to understand how the UK is balancing its support for Ukraine with maintaining adequate military resources.

Question

Does that frightening set of figures not show the scale of the problem and the weight of attack that Russia can bring to bear against Ukraine? How are we doing with the double demand on our resources—the need to both supply Ukraine with hardware and ammunition, and replenish our stocks of hardware and ammunition in order to fulfil our NATO security requirements?

Answer from John Healey

The Government already have £1 billion-worth of contracts for replenishing UK stockpiles across a range of systems, and I can tell him that around 60% of the contracted production will be in the UK. That is the way we strengthen Britain's security for the future, but also strengthen Britain's economic growth and prosperity.

Answered
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Q3 Derek Twigg Lab Widnes and Halewood
Ukraine
Context

The question is prompted by the need for reassurance about ongoing support from allies for Ukraine's future stability.

Question

I thank the Secretary of State for the work he is doing to support Ukraine. It is very important that we have a united front, and that we are there for the long term to support Ukraine, as we have already heard this morning. What is his view about the determination of our allies to see this conflict through right to the end?

Answer from John Healey

I recently attended the US-led gathering of almost 50 countries in Ramstein, where they made a long-term commitment to supporting Ukraine now and into the future. That gave me confidence that, with work, we can play a leading role in helping that coalition to hold together, and in getting NATO to do more to co-ordinate action and ensure that we get support behind Ukraine, so that it prevails and Putin loses.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer discusses the commitment of allies but does not provide a direct assessment or specific actions taken by them.

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