Photo credit: Serhii Mykhalchuk
The United Kingdom will allocate £100 million, or about €116 million, to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package. It will include air defense systems, including Patriot missiles, large-caliber artillery shells, and drones.
The British government announced, European Pravda and Rubryka write, that the weapons are expected to reach Ukraine before the start of winter. In particular, the package includes:
Air defense interceptors
Large-caliber artillery shells
Drones to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian attacks this winter
Ukraine plans to use the Patriot missiles and other air defense systems to protect:
Critical national infrastructure
Civilians
Ukrainian troops
The supplies will be delivered through the PURL mechanism. Under this framework, Ukraine’s allies purchase US weapons for Ukraine’s needs.
The decision on the new aid package came after visits to Kyiv by the British prime minister and defense minister. During the trip, they heard from the president of Ukraine about the need for additional support ahead of winter.
“Both the prime minister and I, during our first visits to Kyiv, clearly understood how important it is to support Ukraine throughout this winter, as Putin prepares to weaponize winter by continuing barbaric attacks on civilian and energy facilities. We promised to mobilize allies and provide more support wherever we can,” Defense Secretary Wes Streeting announced.
Background
It should be noted that Rubryka earlier wrote that Ukraine’s allies will hold another meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in the Ramstein format in September. According to the UK defense minister, its main topic will be further support for Ukraine ahead of the winter period.
Streeting will chair his first meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on September 8. The group brings together 50 countries that provide military equipment to Ukraine. The 36th meeting in the so-called Ramstein format will take place remotely on September 8 under the chairmanship of the defense ministers of the United Kingdom and Germany. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will co-chair the meeting with the head of the British defense ministry.