Russia: Armed Forces

Sir Julian Lewis, the Member of Parliament for New Forest East, asked the Secretary of State for Defence, John Healey, for a recent estimate of the percentage of Russia's gross domestic product spent on its armed forces since the invasion of Ukraine. In response, the Secretary of State stated that Russia's declared total military expenditure was around 4.7% of GDP in 2022, 5.9% in 2023, and is forecast to be up to around 7% of GDP this year. He acknowledged that the public figures may not tell the full story about Russian expenditure. Sir Julian Lewis followed up, stating that these frightening figures demonstrate the scale of the problem and the weight of attack that Russia can bring to bear against Ukraine. He then asked how the government is managing the double demand on resources, both to supply Ukraine with hardware and ammunition, and to replenish the UK's own stocks to fulfil NATO security requirements. The Secretary of State responded that the government has £1 billion-worth of contracts for replenishing UK stockpiles across a range of systems, with around 60% of the contracted production taking place in the UK. He stated that this is the way to strengthen Britain's security for the future and its economic growth and prosperity. Derek Twigg, the Member of Parliament for Widnes and Halewood, thanked the Secretary of State for the work being done to support Ukraine. He expressed the importance of a united front and a long-term commitment to supporting Ukraine, and asked for the Secretary of State's view on the determination of the UK's allies to see the conflict through to the end. The Secretary of State expressed confidence in his role, stating that he recently attended a US-led gathering of almost 50 countries in Ramstein, where they made a long-term commitment to supporting Ukraine now and into the future. He said this gave him confidence that, with work, the UK can play a leading role in helping the coalition to hold together and in getting NATO to do more to coordinate action and ensure support behind Ukraine, so that it prevails and Putin loses.