Government announces £450 million 'surge' of military support for Ukraine ahead of 50 nation summit
by Danielle de Wolfe · LBCBy Danielle de Wolfe
The Government has announced a £450 million “surge” of military support to Ukraine, as the UK and Germany host a meeting of 50 nations.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Defence Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart, defence minister Boris Pistorius, will co-chair the 27th Ukraine Defence Contact Group on Friday.
Meetings of the defence contact group had been chaired by the US defence secretary until Donald Trump became president in January.
Since then, in a sign of the US’s disengagement from European security, Mr Healey has taken over that duty, chairing his first such meeting in February.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the “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.
The package, worth £450 million, includes £350 million from the UK, with further funding being provided by Norway, via the UK-led International Fund for Ukraine.
The support package will be announced by Mr Healey as 50 nations come together to co-ordinate more 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.
The package also includes a “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 building on the work of the drone capability coalition, led by the UK and Latvia.
Mr Healey will tell the contact group: “The work of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group is vital to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position and pile pressure on (Russian President Vladimir) 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.”
Meanwhile, Chancellor Rachel Reeves will meet EU finance ministers on Friday and call for deeper co-operation on defence financing.
She will travel to Poland for discussions at the informal ECOFIN meeting.
A Treasury source said: “A strong economy needs a strong national defence.
“That is why the Chancellor will be travelling to Warsaw to make the case for deeper defence financing cooperation with our European allies so together we deliver greater economic and national security in a changed world.”
The Lib Dems said the support package was “small change” and called for the UK Government to seize Russian assets 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.
“John Healey is right: 2025 is a critical year. But Britain needs to do more.
“The UK must lead the charge in seizing the Russian assets held here in Britain – funnelling oligarchs’ money to back Zelensky’s brave defence of Ukraine’s sovereignty. Without that, we risk failing Ukraine in their hour of greatest need.”
Writing in The i Paper, Minister for European Union Relations Nick Thomas-Symonds said the UK’s relationship with Europe needs to expand to safeguard the continent against global economic and military instability.
“But we cannot consider the safety of people here in the UK and in neighbouring EU countries without looking at the root cause of the instability we’re facing: the fast-changing and increasingly volatile nature of world affairs right now, including Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine,” he said.
He added that he is “more certain than ever” that “by pursuing a closer security and defence relationship, we will keep people across our continent safer”.