The British government said on Tuesday that it would provide a new major funding package for equipment repair and establishing a military rehabilitation center in Ukraine. The UK will immediately deliver more than 70 combat and logistics vehicles to help ensure front-line forces have the means to carry ammunition and equipment evacuate wounded soldiers and recover damaged vehicles. The government statement said the UK would also launch a project through NATO to establish a medical rehabilitation center for Ukrainian soldiers. This will be paired with the UK’s world-leading Stanford Hall rehabilitation center, which helps war veterans adapt to prostheses, relearn to walk, and regain confidence and ambition for the future.
The support is the latest in a series of measures to counter Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which Western allies say has destabilized the region. It comes ahead of a primary international framework for long-term security arrangements to be agreed by G7 partners on the sidelines of this week’s NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. The joint declaration is expected to mark the first time that so many countries have endorsed a multilateral security agreement of this kind with another country, according to Downing Street. The G7 will “provide more defense equipment, increase and accelerate intelligence sharing, bolster support for cyber and hybrid threat defenses, expand training programs and military exercises, and develop Ukraine’s industrial base,” Downing Street said.
US President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the summit, where he will announce a “major announcement” on boosting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself and deter any future Russian aggression. The meeting will be held on the second day of the summit.
Zelenskyy has criticized the lack of a clear path to NATO membership and has said that it’s “absurd” not to set a date for Ukrainian troops to join the alliance. Sunak says that despite this, the UK remains committed to supporting and simplifying Ukraine’s pathway to NATO membership, adding that “support for their progress, coupled with formal, multilateral, and bilateral agreements and the overwhelming support of the NATO Alliance will send a strong signal to President Putin and return peace to Europe.”
The UK has already provided over PS2.3 billion ($64.65 million) in military aid to Ukraine. This includes weapons, anti-tank rockets, air defense systems, and drones. The UK will invest over PS6 billion ($7.25 billion) to rebuild and strengthen Ukraine’s defenses in the longer term.
The United States, Britain, and other G7 allies also plan to give Ukraine more than 200,000 additional rounds of Challenger 2 ammunition. This is a low-observable, long-range, air-launched cruise missile designed by the French and Anglo-French conglomerate Matra and British Aerospace, later acquired by MBDA. It has a range of up to 250km or 155 miles. This will be delivered to Ukraine in early 2018. This is part of the UK’s larger support package, donating over 100,000 military-grade body armor.
