LONDON (dpa-AFX) - The UK has pledged 450 miilion pound military support package to boost Ukraine's Armed Forces.
The rapid military aid was announced by UK Defence Secretary John Healey at a meeting of defence ministers from 50 countries in Brussels Friday to plan for a multinational reassurance force to support Ukraine to defend against Russia in the ongoing war.
The 27th Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting was chaired by the UK and Germany.
As co-chair of the meeting, the UK has also secured ambitious pledges for Ukraine from donor countries.
The latest package includes 350 million pounds from the UK from this year's record 4.5 billion pound military support funding for Ukraine. Further funding is being provided by Norway via the UK-led International Fund for Ukraine.
160 million pounds from the UK funding is to provide repairs and maintenance to vehicles and equipment the UK has already provided to Ukraine
The 'close fight' military aid package also includes funding for radar systems, anti-tank mines and hundreds of thousands of drones.
This will include high manoeuvrable first-person view (FPV) drones to attack targets, and drones which can drop explosives on Russian positions. These two types of drones are reported to be responsible for up to 70 percent of damage currently caused to Russian equipment.
The new kit will be procured from a mixture of UK and Ukrainian suppliers, demonstrating how investment into Ukraine's defence supports jobs and the economies of both the UK and Ukraine.
Addressing the meeting, Defence Secretary Healey said, The work of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group is vital to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position and pile pressure on Putin to help force him to end this terrible war'.
'We cannot jeopardise peace by forgetting the war, which is why today's major package will surge support to Ukraine's frontline fight,' he added.
'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. We must step up to deter Russian aggression by continuing to bolster Ukraine's defences.'
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