The UK is surging rapid military support to Ukraine to put them
in the strongest position to secure a lasting peace as partners
meet in Brussels for the 27th Ukraine Defence Contact Group,
chaired by the UK and Germany.
The security of the UK and Europe starts in Ukraine, and a major
new military support package will be delivered by British and
Ukrainian suppliers to help boost Ukraine's Armed Forces as they
continue to defend against Russian attack. As chair of the
meeting, the UK has secured ambitious pledges for Ukraine from
donor countries.
Today's package, worth £450 million, includes £350 million from
the UK from this year's record £4.5 billion military support
funding for Ukraine. Further funding is being provided by Norway,
via the UK-led International Fund for Ukraine.
The support package will be announced by Defence Secretary when he chairs the contact
group alongside German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius later
today, where 50 nations will come together to coordinate urgent
military support for Ukraine.
It will include £160 million of UK funding to provide repairs and
maintenance to vehicles and equipment the UK has already provided
to Ukraine – partnering UK companies with Ukrainian industry,
supporting the UK economy and skilled jobs.
Today's support also includes a new ‘close fight' military aid
package – with funding for radar systems, anti-tank mines and
hundreds of thousands of drones - worth more than £250 million,
using funding from the UK and Norway. The package builds on the
work of the drone capability coalition, led by the UK and Latvia.
This will include high manoeuvrable first-person view (FPV)
drones to attack targets, and drones which can drop explosives on
Russian positions. These two types of drones are reported to be
responsible for 60-70% of damage currently caused to Russian
equipment.
The new kit will be procured from a mixture of UK and Ukrainian
suppliers, demonstrating how investment into Ukraine's defence
supports jobs and the economies of both the UK and Ukraine.
The £160 million package for equipment repairs and maintenance
will ensure vital armoured vehicles and other equipment can get
back to the battlefield as quickly as possible. It will be
implemented through the UK's Taskforce HIRST, linking UK and
Ukrainian companies to ensure repairs can be conducted in country
to ensure that vital equipment is returned to the frontline as
quickly as possible.
The support provides opportunities for British companies to learn
lessons from the battlefield and support the UK's own industrial
capabilities, an example of the UK-Ukraine 100-year partnership
announced by the Prime Minister in action.
Addressing the contact group, Defence Secretary MP will say:
The work of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group is vital to put
Ukraine in the strongest possible position and pile pressure on
Putin to help force him to end this terrible war.
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. We must step up to deter Russian aggression by
continuing to bolster Ukraine's defences.
Yesterday, [Thursday] the Defence Secretary and his French
counterpart, Minister Lecornu, chaired the first meeting
of Coalition of the Willing defence ministers, bringing
together 30 countries to progress planning for a reassurance
force to support a lasting peace in Ukraine.
The meeting followed a series of high-level meetings of leaders
and defence chiefs in the last month to move forward with
operational planning.
This work delivers on the Prime Minister's four-point plan to
support Ukraine by ramping up delivery of weapons and equipment,
boosting Ukraine's defensive capabilities in the long term,
working with allies to develop robust security assurances, and
keeping up pressure on Putin.
The UK is fully committed to working with allies to step up
support to ensure Ukraine remains in the strongest possible
position, which is why £4.5 billion of military support will be
provided this year – more than ever before.
As well as demonstrating leadership through the Ukraine Defence
Contact Group and Coalition of the Willing, the UK is also
contributing heavily to NATO's Security Assistance and Training
for Ukraine (NSATU) Command, which is coordinating further
support for Ukraine in the form of training and providing more
capabilities. Through the International Fund for Ukraine, the UK
will manage the NSATU Trust Fund for rapid procurement – which
Canada, Denmark and Iceland have already pledged funding towards,
to meet Ukraine's urgent equipment support and logistical needs.
