UK commits €116m for Ukraine’s air defence, including Patriot missiles

Britain announced on Tuesday it was committing £100 million (€116 million) to boost Ukraine’s air defence capabilities this winter, including with Patriot missiles.

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The UK will also supply “air defence interceptors, large-calibre artillery rounds and drones” as part of the contribution to a NATO programme supporting Kyiv, the defence ministry said in a statement.

The Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) was established in 2022 by the US Department of Defence and NATO.

More than 20 countries have invested billions of dollars in the programme which aims to ensure a predictable flow of lethal and non-lethal support for Ukraine, with military hardware purchased mainly from the US.

The equipment “will be delivered before the winter, helping Ukraine defend its critical national infrastructure, innocent civilians and armed forces from Russian attacks,” the ministry added.

Ukraine relies on advanced air defence systems, chiefly US Patriot interceptors, to protect its skies from Russian ballistic missile strikes.

But it has reported a shortage of Patriot interceptors since the United States and Israel went to war with Iran in February, diverting supplies.

Britain has been one of Ukraine’s biggest backers in its effort to repel Russia following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited Ukraine last month on his first foreign trip since entering office in late July.

Britain recently agreed to release to Ukraine information on components for the long-range missile, SCALP, the French-produced version of the UK’s Storm Shadow, so Ukraine could set up local assembly lines.

New UK defence minister Wes Streeting will co-chair his first meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which comprises 50 nations providing military kit to Ukraine, on Tuesday.

“Both the Prime Minister and I heard loud and clear on our first visits to Kyiv the importance of supporting Ukraine through this winter, as Putin prepares to use winter as a weapon by continuing barbaric attacks against civilian and energy targets,” Streeting said.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the UK has committed around £25 billion to Ukraine, split between military and non-military support, according to a Westminster factsheet.