UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the decision to provide additional military support worth £1bn to Ukraine.
The announcement was made on the last day of the Nato Leaders’ Summit in Madrid, following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s appeal to the allies to scale up support in the time of war.
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The latest aid will focus on enhancing capabilities by providing air defence systems, uncrewed aerial vehicles, and advanced electronic warfare equipment for the Ukrainian soldiers.
Boris Johnson said: “UK weapons, equipment, and training are transforming Ukraine’s defences against this [Russian] onslaught.
“We will continue to stand squarely behind the Ukrainian people to ensure [Vladimir] Putin fails in Ukraine.”
Since the outbreak of the war, the UK has pledged £2.3bn in military support to Ukraine.
This includes over 5,000 next-generation light anti-tank weapon (NLAW) missiles, long-range rocket systems, 155mm self-propelled guns, and loitering munitions, among others.
The military aid is in addition to humanitarian and economic support, worth £1.5bn, that has been delivered to Ukraine since February this year.
Apart from the package, the country also made new commitments to Nato’s collective defences.
The prime minister recently announced the government’s decision to offer a training programme to the Ukrainian armed forces to strengthen their endurance levels.
Joining the international efforts to help Ukraine launch offensive operations against Russian forces, Sweden has decided to send more anti-tank weapons and equipment for mine clearing, worth Skr500m ($49m), to Ukraine, reported CNN, citing a Swedish official.
According to Swedish Defence Ministry spokesperson Toni Eriksson, the equipment requested by the Ukrainian government would be shipped “as soon as possible”, reported the news agency.
Specifications of the weapon systems were not disclosed.
So far, Sweden has delivered military equipment to Ukraine on four different occasions, Eriksson added.
