UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine passes £1 billion milestone
The Challenger 2 tank has been among the platforms sent to Ukraine during the course of the war. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Ukraine’s defence secretary met his UK opposite number in London to mark the milestone and push forward with new defence deals.
Ukraine’s defence secretary met his UK counterpart in London to mark a milestone in international military support spending for Ukraine’s war of resistance against invasion by Russia.
Rustem Umerov’s visit marked the passing of the £1 billion point (US$1.3 billion) in military support for Ukraine, with eight countries joining the UK in the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU). The UK has single-handedly contributed £500 million to the fund.
Sir Keir Starmer, the UK’s relatively new Prime Minister, announced the IFU’s largest support package for Ukraine at the NATO Summit in July including a £300 million contract to supply 152mm artillery shells to supply Ukraine’s Soviet-era guns. He also confirmed £3 billion of UK aid for Ukraine per year for “as long as it takes”, even in the face of a reputed “£22 billion black hole” in the UK’s public finances which the government said it has discovered since taking office in July. The £3 billion annual donation is thought to be outside the remit of any domestic defence spending cuts announced by the former UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt in October last year.
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The £300 million artillery shell contract has now been signed and will be expected to deliver thousands of shells before the end of the year.
Denmark, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway all confirmed their intent this summer to invest additional money in the Fund to buy more drones to help on the frontline, as well as vital air defence capabilities.
UK defence secretary John Healey said: “The ongoing defensive operation in Kursk underlines the crucial importance of continued support and today’s milestone for the International Fund for Ukraine shows the value of working with our allies to deliver that support.”
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