Brexit has allowed the UK to take a leading role in supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia, according to Poland’s Foreign Minister.

Radosław Sikorski is part of the new Polish government headed by Donald Tusk that came to power last year.

He is the country’s Foreign Minister, an office he held previously between 2007 and 2014 when last in government.

The Polish politician studied at Oxford University at the same time as the former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and current British Foreign Minister Lord Cameron.

Mr Sikorski praised the UK’s leadership over Ukraine, saying Britain’s exit from the EU allowed it to reach quick decisions over military aid and sanctions.

By way of comparison, crucial decisions over support for Ukraine can drag on for weeks in the EU due to the need to reach a consensus among the 27 member states.

“The UK has found a niche, a very useful and honourable one, namely to take advantage of its quick decision-making,” he told the Daily Telegraph.

“You do the right thing before others, and therefore encourage the rest of us.”

Poland has ramped up its defence spending to four percent of GDP in the wake of Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine.

The country feels particularly vulnerable as it has borders with both Russia via the enclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus.

It also has a long history of being invaded by Russia on numerous occasions – memories of which have been preserved through the generations.

Mr Sikorski said the UK in “absolute numbers” was the biggest spender and had done a great job over Ukraine.

He added: “Britain has been consistently good in standing up to Putin.

“I suppose the Russian death squads in Britain have helped, in that sense, alerted you to the nature of the beast.”

Currently the UK has pledged £12.5 billion in support to Ukraine since February 2022, of which £7.6 billion is for military assistance.

The UK is providing both lethal and non-lethal weaponry – including tanks, air defence systems and long-range precision strike missiles.