The United Kingdom has announced an additional £450 million in military support to Ukraine, as the UK and Germany prepare to host a meeting of 50 nations in Brussels.
Defence officials are convening to “pile pressure” on Russian President Vladimir Putin and force him to end his invasion of Ukraine, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
“We must step up to deter Russian aggression by continuing to bolster Ukraine’s defences,” he added.
The package includes funding for hundreds of thousands of drones, anti-tank mines, and repairs to military vehicles.
About £350 million will be provided by the UK, with extra funding from Norway via the UK-led International Fund for Ukraine.
The package includes £160 million to provide repairs and maintenance to vehicles and equipment that the UK has already provided to Ukraine.
A “close fight” military aid package, with funding for radar systems, anti-tank mines and hundreds of thousands of drones, worth more than £250 million, is also part of the package, the government said.
Healey said the work of the group “is vital to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position.
“We cannot jeopardise peace by forgetting the war, which is why today’s major package will surge support to Ukraine’s frontline fight.
“2025 is the critical year for Ukraine. Our job as defence ministers is to put into the hands of the Ukrainian war fighters what they need.”
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The fund follows a series of military pledges to Ukraine from the UK.
Last month, Sir Keir Starmer announced a £1.6 billion missile deal for Ukraine, following a summit of European leaders in London, on top of a £2.2 billion loan to provide more military aid backed by profits from frozen Russian assets.
The Lib Dems said the support package announced on Friday was “small change” and called for the government to seize Russian assets in Britain to give Ukraine more funding.
“While we welcome any increase in support for Ukraine, this package is small change compared to what’s needed to combat Putin’s barbaric war,” the party’s defence spokeswoman Helen Maguire said.
Healey and his German counterpart, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, are co-chairing Friday’s meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which had traditionally been hosted by the US defence secretary until Donald Trump became president in January.
