- Next phase of UK military support will enhance and sustain
Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion
- Brings total UK military and economic support to £3.8bn this
year
- Announcement comes as President Zelenskyy addresses NATO
leaders, calling for urgent support to help Ukraine turn the tide
in the war
The UK will provide another £1 billion of military support to
Ukraine, the Prime Minister has announced at the NATO Leaders’
Summit today (Thursday 30th June).
This uplift to funding will herald a new phase in the
international community’s support to Ukraine. It will go towards
capabilities including sophisticated air defence systems,
uncrewed aerial vehicles, innovative new electronic warfare
equipment and thousands of pieces of vital kit for Ukrainian
soldiers.
It represents the first step in enabling Ukraine to go beyond
their valiant defence against the illegal Russian invasion to
mounting offensive operations against Russian ground forces in
order to restore Ukrainian sovereignty
The UK is leading the way in providing vital military assistance
to Ukraine. Today’s announcement brings the total UK military
support since the outbreak of war to £2.3 billion – more than any
country other than the United States. Support so far includes
more than 5,000 NLAW anti-tank missiles made in Northern Ireland,
long-range multiple launch rocket systems, artillery systems,
including 155mm self propelled guns, and rapid design and
production of short to medium range persistent loitering
munitions by a UK start-up company.
Last week the Prime Minister also announced the UK was offering a
comprehensive new training programme to the Ukrainian Armed
Forces, helping them build long-term endurance in the face of
continuing Russian barbarism.
The UK’s support to Ukraine represents the highest rate of UK
military spending on a conflict since the height of the campaigns
in Iraq and Afghanistan. Speaking at a special meeting of NATO
leaders addressed by President Zelenskyy yesterday the Prime
Minister called on allies to step up their support to provide the
strategic resilience Ukraine needs.
The Prime Minister said:
“Putin’s brutality continues to take Ukrainian lives and
threaten peace and security across Europe.
“As Putin fails to make the gains he had anticipated and
hoped for and the futility of this war becomes clear to all, his
attacks against the Ukrainian people are increasingly
barbaric.
“UK weapons, equipment and training are transforming
Ukraine’s defences against this onslaught. And we will continue
to stand squarely behind the Ukrainian people to ensure Putin
fails in Ukraine.”
As well as bolstering and sustaining the Ukrainian Armed Forces,
UK military support is supporting the thriving UK defence
industry. Last week the Defence Secretary gathered
representatives of the UK defence sector in Downing Street to
discuss how to boost production in response to the increased
demand created by the conflict in Ukraine.
UK defence companies are stepping up to provide the vital support
Ukraine needs. We have provided £100 million worth of Unmanned
Aerial Vehicles through a company based in Berkshire. These
orders have allowed the company to significantly upscale their
production and has used the lessons from the conflict in Ukraine
to inform development of their products, advancing several years
of development which will directly benefit both the UK and the
defence industry.
The MoD has also launched a £25 million innovation fund to
harness niche technologies within UK small & medium size
enterprises. The fund will accelerate the development of
equipment for the Ukrainian armed forces with the competition
focusing on bolstering the existing provision for artillery,
coastal defence and aerial systems.
Defence Secretary said:
“Britain’s commitment to Ukraine is real and constant and
we will stand by them until Russia changes course. This military
assistance will help them intensify their fight against Russian
aggression and ensure they have the defence capabilities they
need.”
The UK’s military support for Ukraine is in addition to the
£1.5bn of humanitarian and economic support provided to the
country since February.
This support for Ukraine is in addition to the new commitments
the Prime Minister announced to NATO’s collective defences at the
Summit yesterday.
Notes to Editors
- This new funding has come from the underspend of departments
across the UK Government and £95 million in contributions from
the Scottish and Welsh Governments’ budgets – recognising the
wide importance of tackling Russian aggression.
- In 2020 the Prime Minister announced the biggest investment
in defence since the Cold War, with an additional £24 billion
allocated over four years.
- Yesterday the Prime Minister announced a number of UK
commitments to NATO, including to the UK’s defence of the
Alliance’s eastern flank in Estonia.
