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 John Healey 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.

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