UK commits £100 million air defence package for Ukraine to protect cities and critical infrastructure

• New funding brings the total in air defence commitments made over the last two months by the UK to protect Ukraine to £600 million.
• Follows the Prime Minister's announcement that British military will be able to board shadow fleet vessels in UK waters – stepping up pressure on Putin. 
• Announcement made by the Prime Minister at the Joint Expeditionary Force leaders' meeting in Finland, as President Zelenskyy addresses the summit.

The UK will urgently commit an additional £100 million for air defence support to Ukraine, helping to defend the country from Russia's relentless attacks. 

The funding will be rapidly deployed to strengthen Ukraine's air defences, ensuring frontline forces and key national infrastructure are better protected from aerial bombardment. 

This latest package means the UK has committed £600 million over the last two months in air defence support to Ukraine, reaffirming the Government's determination to save lives and strengthen Ukraine's resilience. 

The UK package comes as Joint Expeditionary Force leaders met in Helsinki today to discuss how partners can go further and faster on supporting Ukraine.

It also follows President Zelenskyy's visit to London last week, where the Prime Minister heard first hand about the courage and determination Ukraine's Armed Forces continue to demonstrate as they push back Russian forces.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

"As Putin continues his abhorrent attacks across Ukraine, my message is simple - there will be no let up in the UK's support.

"Putin's needless full-scale invasion has hurt households up and down the UK by increasing the cost of living and undermining European security.

"To ensure that never happens again, and protect people at home from the real threat that Russia poses, I am determined to do everything we can to support a sovereign and free Ukraine for generations to come.

"This vital air defence package will do just that, protecting millions of people in Ukraine from Russia's barbaric strikes on cities and homes, as their armed forces courageously defend their nation and our values on the front line."

Defence Secretary John Healey MP said: 

“Ukraine continues to bravely defend against Putin's brutal attacks, and I am proud of how the UK is stepping up support to Ukraine to achieve peace on their terms. This will provide Ukraine with vital air defence to protect civilians, cities and critical infrastructure from Russia's relentless attacks.

“The axis of aggression between Russia and Iran makes it increasingly important that we build on Ukrainian expertise and innovation, supported by British industry, and ensure that Ukrainian fighters see benefits from that as they continue to push back Putin's illegal invasion.

“I pay tribute to the huge courage and ingenuity of the Ukrainian people – military and civilians alike – and I am determined to make 2026 the year this war ends.”

This package of support shows how the UK is ready to defend allies and interests and follows on from the Prime Minister's announcement that the British military will now be able to board shadow fleet vessels transiting UK waters – stepping up pressure on Putin.  

The new funding builds on the UK's £500 million air defence package announced in February at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels. 

That package included £150 million for NATO's Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, enabling the rapid delivery of air defence interceptors, alongside more than 1,000 Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMMs) manufactured in Belfast. 

It also supported a £390 million deal to boost collaboration between UK and Ukrainian industry. 

In addition, the UK is delivering a further 1,200 air defence missiles and 200,000 rounds of artillery ammunition through the Air Defence Consortium. 

The UK continues to play a leading role in international support, co-chairing the Ukraine Defence Contact Group alongside Germany and working closely with allies across NATO and beyond. 

Even as the global security picture becomes more complex, the UK is clear: standing up to Russian aggression remains essential to European and global security. 

This announcement sits within the UK's wider £3 billion annual military support to Ukraine, ensuring sustained backing for Ukraine's defence for as long as it takes.