By Necva Tastan Sevinc
ISTANBUL (AA) – The UK defense secretary Friday announced a new £350 million ($460 million) military aid package for Ukraine, calling 2025 a critical year in the war and urging other allies to boost their support.
The package includes radar systems, anti-tank mines, hundreds of thousands of drones, and funding to maintain and repair battlefield equipment, John Healey said at the 27th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels.
Part of the aid includes launching a new initiative to repair thousands of Ukrainian vehicles damaged in combat.
"This is a new effort that we want you to join us in," he told allied nations present at the meeting. "This extra support today will strengthen Ukrainian troops in the close fight.”
He underlined that 2025 is a "critical year" in the war and warned against complacency, saying: "We cannot jeopardize the peace by forgetting about the war."
“To those not making fresh commitments today, I urge you to look again, to look hard at what more you can do,” he added.
Healey reaffirmed Britain’s long-term backing, saying the UK will spend a record £4.5 billion in military assistance to Ukraine this year – its highest to date.
- Germany boosts support by billions
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stressed that the joint UK-German leadership of the meeting underscored Europe’s responsibility to defend peace on the continent.
He said Germany would increase its military support by €3 billion this year and by more than €8 billion in the coming years.
“Ukraine has become the epicenter of a broader conflict between freedom and oppression,” Pistorius said. “Russia should be under no illusion. Ukraine is becoming stronger. We must and we will make sure of that.”
The meeting at NATO headquarters was attended by representatives from around 40 countries, mostly NATO members. The UK and Germany co-chaired the session for the first time since the US handed over leadership of the group to European allies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will join the meeting virtually.
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein Group, was established in April 2022 to coordinate international military support for Ukraine.