UK Provides £150 Million in Military Aid to Ukraine for Enhanced Air and Naval Defence
The UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps announced that his country will provide Ukraine with another military aid package worth £150 million. This package focuses on strengthening Ukraine’s air and naval defence, reports The Sun.
According to the UK Defence Secretary's statement, this package will include £70 million worth of air defence radars, camouflage equipment, and electronic warfare systems sent by the United Kingdom and its allies. Additionally, £80 million will be allocated for small boats, reconnaissance drones, and unmanned surface vessels.
In his statement, Shapps emphasized that this aid will help protect Ukraine’s infrastructure, which is suffering from Russian attacks.
“The International Fund for Ukraine is providing vital support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces to meet their urgent needs. This includes more air defence systems to protect Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure, as well as maritime capabilities to strengthen their naval forces,” said the UK Defence Secretary.
It is worth noting that on March 7, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Grant Shapps in Kyiv. They discussed further strengthening of Ukraine's air defence and long-range capabilities, addressing other urgent needs for weapons and ammunition, and establishing joint weapons production.
Following that meeting, the UK announced the allocation of approximately $416 million to supply Ukrainian servicemen with advanced drones throughout 2024.
Additionally, The Gaze reported yesterday that the Swedish government, in cooperation with the pro-government party the Swedish Democrats, approved a programme of additional military support for Ukraine amounting to 75 billion kronor ($7.01 billion) over three years. This sum will be evenly distributed over the specified period.
With this programme, the total military and civilian support for Ukraine from Sweden will exceed 100 billion Swedish kronor (over $9 billion). Military aid to Ukraine may include free transfers of defence equipment, financial contributions, and support in purchasing defence equipment.