During a visit to Kyiv on 12 January 2024 UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the United Kingdom will provide GBP 2.5 Bn (EUR 2.91 Bn) worth of military funding to Ukraine in 2024/25: an increase of GBP 200 M over the previous two years.
Sunak also joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in signing a historic UK-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation, which followed assurances made by the G7 nations at the NATO Summit in Vilnius last year that they would provide Ukraine with bilateral security assurances. The Prime Minister’s Office noted in a press release that the UK is the first country to deliver a final agreement.
The UK-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation formalises a range of support the UK has been and will continue to provide for Ukrainian security, including intelligence sharing, cyber security, medical and military training, and defence- industrial co-operation. It also commits the UK to consulting with Ukraine in the event it is ever attacked by Russia again and to provide “swift and sustained” assistance for Ukraine’s defence.
The GBP 2.5 Bn in military funding “will help to leverage the best of UK military expertise and defence production to ensure Ukraine’s victory on the battlefield, including in critical areas like long-range missiles, air defence, artillery ammunition and maritime security”, the Prime Minister’s Office noted.
At least GBP 200 M of the funding will be spent on a major push to rapidly procure and produce thousands of unmanned vehicles for Ukraine, including surveillance and long-range strike unmanned aerial vehicles as well as unmanned surface vessels.
“The technology will give Ukraine cutting edge, battle-tested capabilities to defend their citizens and target the invading Russian forces on land and sea,” the Prime Minister’s Office stated. “This will be the largest delivery of drones to Ukraine from any nation. Most of the drones are expected to be manufactured in the UK, and the Ministry of Defence will work with international partners to significantly scale up the number of drones provided for Ukraine’s defence.”
Sunak was quoted as saying, “For two years Ukraine has fought with great courage to repel a brutal Russian invasion. They are still fighting, unfaltering in their determination to defend their country and defend the principles of freedom and democracy. I am here today with one message: the UK will also not falter. We will stand with Ukraine, in their darkest hours and in the better times to come.
“The UK is already one of Ukraine’s closest partners, because we recognise their security is our security,” Sunak added. “Today we are going further – increasing our military aid, delivering thousands of cutting-edge drones, and signing a historic new Security Agreement to provide Ukraine with the assurances it needs for the long term.”
The closer UK security ties and increase in military funding will be welcome news for Kyiv, which has seen military aid from the United States blocked by Republican lawmakers opposed to it or holding it hostage over US border security concerns.
