UK pledges £450m in new military support for Ukraine as it co-chairs major security summit

The UK has announced a £450m package of military aid for Ukraine as it co-chairs a meeting of 50 nations in Brussels, alongside Germany.

Defence Secretary John Healey revealed the package at the 27th Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which brings together allies to coordinate military support for Ukraine.

Of the total package, £350m comes from the UK's record £4.5bn military support budget for 2024, with additional contributions from Norway via the UK-led International Fund for Ukraine.

• Is the West overestimating China's military capabilities, just as it did with Russia?
• Inside North Korea's shadowy military that's great in size but poorly equipped
• Two Chinese citizens caught fighting for the Russian army, Zelensky says

The aid includes

:: £160m for repairs and maintenance of UK-supplied vehicles and equipment, to be carried out in Ukraine through UK-Ukrainian industry partnerships under Taskforce HIRST.

:: Over £250m for a new "close fight" package, including radar systems, anti-tank mines and hundreds of thousands of drones - many of them highly manoeuvrable FPV models and munition-dropping types reported to be causing the majority of damage to Russian forces.

Mr Healey said the move was aimed at putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position and piling "pressure on Putin to help force him to end this terrible war".

He added: "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."

The Defence Contact Group meeting comes a day after the UK and France led the first gathering of the "Coalition of the Willing" - a group of 30 countries planning a long-term reassurance force to support peace in Ukraine.

The UK also plays a key role in Nato’s Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) Command and will manage a new NSATU Trust Fund for rapid procurement, supported by Canada, Denmark and Iceland.

The equipment will be sourced from both UK and Ukrainian suppliers, supporting jobs and defence industries in both countries.