UK to provide $681M defense support to Ukraine

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - The UK on Thursday announced a £500 million ($681 million) package of air defense missiles and systems to help Ukraine defend against Russian attacks on energy sites and homes.

The funding includes £150 million for NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), an initiative that coordinates the rapid delivery of air defense interceptors.

Defense Secretary John Healey said the move would “help Ukrainians defend against Putin’s relentless drone and missile attacks.”

As part of the package, the UK will deliver an additional 1,000 Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMMs), as well as 1,200 air defense missiles and 200,000 rounds of artillery ammunition through the Air Defence Consortium (ADC).

“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,” Healey said in a statement.

Five countries pledged contributions to the purchase of American weapons under Ukraine’s Priority Requirements List (PURL) at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) in Brussels on Thursday.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte thanked the UK, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Lithuania for their contributions.