About £350m will by provided by the UK, with extra funding from Norway via the UK-led International Fund for Ukraine
The government has announced a further £450m of military support to Kyiv, 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, 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-tanks mines and and repairs to military vehicles. About £350m will by provided by the UK, with extra funding from Norway via the UK-led International Fund for Ukraine.
The package includes £160m to provide repairs and maintenance to vehicles and equipment 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 £250m 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,” he said.
“Our job as defence ministers is to put into the hands of the Ukrainian war fighters what they need.” The fund follows a series of military pledges to Ukraine from the UK.
Last month, Keir Starmer announced a £1.6bn missile deal for Ukraine, following a summit of European leaders in London, on top of a £2.2bn 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.
British troops in Ukraine
Meanwhile, The Telegraph reported that Britain is considering deploying troops to Ukraine for five years under plans being discussed by allies.
Military chiefs want the deployment to help train and reconstitute the Ukrainian army to prevent Vladimir Putin from mounting another invasion. A scheme for a phased withdrawal was raised in the discussions being led by Britain and France over a “coalition of the willing” to uphold any post-conflict peace agreement.
Under the plan, one of a number of options on the table, a European-led force would be dispatched to Ukraine to initially deter Russia from breaching any settlement and to offer Kyiv’s men some much-needed respite.
French military planners have argued that it is highly unlikely Putin would sanction another attack with Western forces inside Ukraine when his troops are only capable of seizing small amounts of territory, The Telegraph understands. Under the plan, the Franco-British-led “reassurance force” would also offer to help protect Ukraine’s skies and seas.
But the main aim of the deployment would be to immediately start helping to train and rebuild Ukraine’s armed forces to deter another Russian attack. They would later withdraw in stages with final troops to leave around the five year mark.
It would put the UK, France and their Western allies in a race to rebuild and bolster Ukraine’s military before Moscow is once again ready to wage full-scale war. British, Danish and German intelligence chiefs believe Putin could be ready in as little as five years. After co-chairing a meeting of 30 nations, John Healey, the Defence Secretary, said he wouldn’t reveal details of the plans being discussed because it “simply makes Putin wiser”. But he told reporters: “We have discussed, and I confirmed, our four aims or objectives in military planning: secure the skies, secure the seas, support peace on land and support the regeneration and strength of the Ukrainian forces.
“The Ukrainians themselves say our best security for the future will be the strength of our own forces and our ability to deter Russia ourselves in the future.” Ministers were briefed on recent talks between Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, head of the British Armed Forces, and General Thierry Burkhard, his French counterpart, and their Ukrainian counterparts.
