Defence secretary pledges £450m military ‘surge’ to Ukraine

The government has announced a further £450m of military support to Kyiv, as the UK and Germany prepare to host a meeting of 50 nations in Brussels.

Defence officials are convening to “pile pressure” on Russian President Vladimir Putin and force him to end his invasion of Ukraine, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.

“We must step up to deter Russian aggression by continuing to bolster Ukraine’s defences,” he added.

The package includes funding for hundreds of thousands of drones, anti-tanks mines and and repairs to military vehicles.

About £350m will by provided by the UK, with extra funding from Norway via the UK-led International Fund for Ukraine.

The package includes £160m to provide repairs and maintenance to vehicles and equipment the UK has already provided to Ukraine.

A “close fight” military aid package, with funding for radar systems, anti-tank mines and hundreds of thousands of drones, worth more than £250m is also part of the package, the government said.

Healey said the work of the group “is vital to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position”.

“We cannot jeopardise peace by forgetting the war, which is why today’s major package will surge support to Ukraine’s frontline fight,” he said.

“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.”

The fund follows a series of military pledges to Ukraine from the UK.

Last month, Sir Keir Starmer announced a £1.6bn missile deal for Ukraine, following a summit of European leaders in London, on top of a £2.2bn loan to provide more military aid backed by profits from frozen Russian assets.

The Lib Dems said the support package announced on Friday was “small change” and called for the government to seize Russian assets in Britain 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.

Healey and his German counterpart, defence minister Boris Pistorius, are co-chairing Friday’s meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which had traditionally been hosted by the US defence secretary until Donald Trump became president in January.

Since then, in a sign of the US stepping back from European security matters, Healey has taken over as chair.

The meeting follows a similar gathering of defence ministers from 30 countries in the Franco-British-led “coalition of the willing”, who met in Brussels to discuss installing a force in Ukraine to ensure enduring peace.

Healey said he did not envisage “a reassurance force” that will “separate the currently warring sides down the line of contact”, according to the AFP news agency, but added that bolstering Ukraine’s armies would be a key part of the plan.