The funding for air defence is the first of five expected support packages as part of the second round of IFU procurement…reports Asian Lite News
The UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) have agreed to donate 92 million pounds ($116 million) worth of air defence equipment to Ukraine, according to a statement from the British Ministry of Defence.
The latest air defence package consists of weapons and equipment purchased via the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), according to the Ministry.
The package will provide radars to help protect from indiscriminate Russian strikes as well as guns and a significant amount of ammunition.
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The announcement came as the UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace attended a meeting of defence ministers from the ten JEF nations in Amsterdam to discuss continued support for Ukraine and shared security interests and concerns.
Making the donation through the IFU allows donor nations to join forces on major acquisition projects from the defence industry, avoiding “our own military stocks being pressed unnecessarily,” Danish Acting Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Tuesday in a government press statement.
The IFU was established following the “Copenhagen Ukraine Conference” in August 2022, and serves to handle financial contributions to acquire military equipment and provide aid to Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported.
The JEF is a coalition of 10 European countries, including the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
“The Joint Expeditionary Force brings together like-minded nations committed to preserving security and stability in Northern Europe, and providing ongoing support for Ukraine,” UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said.
“The UK has contributed a further £250 million to the International Fund for Ukraine and, with allies and partners, through the fund we are providing a package of air defence to help Ukraine protect their critical national infrastructure and defend against indiscriminate Russian air strikes,” he added.
The latest UK contribution of £250m comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met President Voldymyr Zelenskyy in Moldova earlier this month to discuss how best to protect Ukrainian cities and critical national infrastructure from Russian strikes. It takes the total pledged so far by all contributing nations to £770m.
The funding for air defence is the first of five expected support packages as part of the second round of IFU procurement.
The first round of procurement resulted in hundreds of proposals from suppliers, ten of which were selected. These included a consignment of reconnaissance and strike drones, which will arrive in Ukraine this summer.
During his visit to Amsterdam, the defence secretary also held bilateral meetings with the defence ministers from Estonia, Sweden, and the Netherlands, to discuss ongoing shared security commitments.
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