UK to hammer Vladimir Putin’s battle machine with £500m of missiles given to Ukraine
Defence Secretary John Healey also announced the UK will contribute £150 million for the first time to Nato’s prioritised Ukraine requirements list, to ensure air defence missiles reach Ukraine quickly
The package is a blow to Vladimir Putin(Image: AP)
The UK will provide Ukraine with more than £500 million in new defence missiles and systems in a bid to halt Vladimir Putin ’s brutal attacks on energy sites and civilians.
Defence Secretary John Healey also announced the UK will contribute £150 million for the first time to Nato’s prioritised Ukraine requirements list (Purl), a programme designed to ensure air defence missiles reach Ukraine quickly. A further 1,000 lightweight multirole missiles, manufactured in Belfast, will be delivered to Ukraine under a £390 million deal.
Mr Healey said: “As we approach the fifth year of Putin’s full-scale invasion, the UK and our allies are more committed than ever to supporting Ukraine. I’m proud of the UK’s continued leadership and pleased to confirm a new half a billion pound package of air defence, including £150 million for Purl, to help Ukrainians defend against Putin’s relentless drone and missile attacks.”
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“This is Britain being a force for good in the world, building a new deal for European security within NATO. I’m proud of the UK’s armed forces. I’m proud of the UK’s leadership. And I’m proud of the UK’s commitment to our allies. We will back you. We will defend you. We will fight with you, in this new era of threat and hard power.”
The announcement comes as Mr Healey co-hosts meetings in Brussels with the 50-nation Ukraine Defence Contact Group and Nato defence ministers, working on steps to combat the Russian invasion.
Mr Healey and the German defence minister Boris Pistorius will co‑chair the meeting, which will be attended by Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.
Under the Purl scheme, Nato countries work together to buy defence equipment from the United States for Ukraine.
It comes days after Mr Healey called Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians “brutal” and “cynical” during a visit to Kyiv.
Speaking earlier this week, the Defence Secretary condemned the Russian President following repeated drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities that killed at least four and wounded dozens.
He said: “He talks about peace, but he is stepping up and escalating his attacks. Not attacks on the Ukrainian military, but on civilians and cities like this. It’s brutal, it’s cynical, it’s exactly why we have got to work so hard to help Ukraine secure a peace.”
