The UK is surging fast army assist to Ukraine to place them within the strongest place to safe an enduring peace as companions meet in Brussels for the twenty seventh Ukraine Defence Contact Group, chaired by the UK and Germany.
The safety of the UK and Europe begins in Ukraine, and a significant new army assist bundle might be delivered by British and Ukrainian suppliers to assist increase Ukraine’s Armed Forces as they proceed to defend towards Russian assault. As chair of the assembly, the UK has secured bold pledges for Ukraine from donor international locations.
In the present day’s bundle, value £450 million, contains £350 million from the UK from this yr’s document £4.5 billion army assist funding for Ukraine. Additional funding is being offered by Norway, through the UK-led Worldwide Fund for Ukraine.
The assist bundle might be introduced by Defence Secretary John Healey when he chairs the contact group alongside German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius later at this time, the place 50 nations will come collectively to coordinate pressing army assist for Ukraine.
It’ll embody £160 million of UK funding to supply repairs and upkeep to autos and tools the UK has already offered to Ukraine – partnering UK firms with Ukrainian business, supporting the UK economic system and expert jobs.
In the present day’s assist additionally features a new ‘shut struggle’ army support bundle – with funding for radar methods, anti-tank mines and tons of of hundreds of drones – value greater than £250 million, utilizing funding from the UK and Norway. The bundle builds on the work of the drone functionality coalition, led by the UK and Latvia.
It will embody excessive manoeuvrable first-person view (FPV) drones to assault targets, and drones which might drop explosives on Russian positions. These two sorts of drones are reported to be chargeable for 60-70% of harm at the moment precipitated to Russian tools.
The brand new package might be procured from a combination of UK and Ukrainian suppliers, demonstrating how funding into Ukraine’s defence helps jobs and the economies of each the UK and Ukraine.
The £160 million bundle for tools repairs and upkeep will guarantee important armoured autos and different tools can get again to the battlefield as rapidly as doable. Will probably be applied by way of the UK’s Taskforce HIRST, linking UK and Ukrainian firms to make sure repairs could be carried out in nation to make sure that important tools is returned to the frontline as rapidly as doable.
The assist offers alternatives for British firms to study classes from the battlefield and assist the UK’s personal industrial capabilities, an instance of the UK-Ukraine 100-year partnership introduced by the Prime Minister in motion.
Addressing the contact group, Defence Secretary John Healey MP will say:
The work of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group is significant to place Ukraine within the strongest doable place and pile strain on Putin to assist drive him to finish this horrible struggle.
We can’t jeopardise peace by forgetting the struggle, which is why at this time’s main bundle will surge assist to Ukraine’s frontline struggle.
2025 is the crucial yr for Ukraine. Our job as defence ministers is to place into the palms of the Ukrainian struggle fighters what they want. We should step as much as deter Russian aggression by persevering with to bolster Ukraine’s defences.
Yesterday, [Thursday] the Defence Secretary and his French counterpart, Minister Lecornu, chaired the primary assembly of Coalition of the Prepared defence ministers, bringing collectively 30 international locations to progress planning for a reassurance drive to assist an enduring peace in Ukraine.
The assembly adopted a sequence of high-level conferences of leaders and defence chiefs within the final month to maneuver ahead with operational planning.
This work delivers on the Prime Minister’s four-point plan to assist Ukraine by ramping up supply of weapons and tools, boosting Ukraine’s defensive capabilities in the long run, working with allies to develop strong safety assurances, and maintaining strain on Putin.
The UK is totally dedicated to working with allies to step up assist to make sure Ukraine stays within the strongest doable place, which is why £4.5 billion of army assist might be offered this yr – greater than ever earlier than.
In addition to demonstrating management by way of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group and Coalition of the Prepared, the UK can be contributing closely to NATO’s Safety Help and Coaching for Ukraine (NSATU) Command, which is coordinating additional assist for Ukraine within the type of coaching and offering extra capabilities. Via the Worldwide Fund for Ukraine, the UK will handle the NSATU Belief Fund for fast procurement – which Canada, Denmark and Iceland have already pledged funding in direction of, to satisfy Ukraine’s pressing tools assist and logistical wants.
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