US, Europe pledge more military aid for Ukraine

WASHINGTON/ LONDON - The United States will provide Ukraine with an additional US$500 million (S$684 million) in military aid, including air defence missiles, air-to-ground munitions and support equipment for F-16 fighter jets, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Jan 9.

“As part of our continued surge in security assistance that President (Joe) Biden announced on Sept 26, the United States is providing another significant package of urgently needed weapons and equipment to our Ukrainian partners as they defend against Russia’s war of aggression,” said Mr Blinken.

“The United States and more than 50 nations stand united to ensure Ukraine has the capabilities it needs to defend itself against Russia’s aggression.”

An international coalition to procure unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for Ukraine, co-led by Britain and Latvia, will send 30,000 newly-ordered drones to Kyiv, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said on Jan 9.

The “drone capability coalition” – formed in early 2024 to deliver devices to Ukraine – has placed an order worth £45 million (S$75.7 million) for the UAVs, the ministry noted.

It did not specify when the drones would be dispatched to Kyiv.

Funding for the 30,000 new UAVs via the coalition comes from Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Latvia and Sweden.

British Defence Secretary John Healey announced the order as he visited Germany’s Ramstein Air Base for a meeting of Ukraine’s allies, where he also held talks with outgoing US counterpart Lloyd Austin.

“The fierce courage of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire the world,” Mr Healey said in remarks released by his ministry.

“This meeting of more than 50 nations sends a clear message to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin about the international community’s unwavering support for Ukraine.”

London said the new drones would be “state-of-the-art, first-person-view” UAVs that would “help Ukraine fight against Russian aggression”.

It added they will allow Ukraine’s armed forces “to manoeuvre past Russian air defences to target enemy positions and armoured vehicles”.

London announced in November it was investing £7.5 million in the drone coalition’s common fund, taking its contributions to date to £15 million.

So far, the fund has raised around £73 million in total.

Mr Healey also confirmed at Ramstein that the British-administered International Fund for Ukraine – which procures priority military equipment, including air defence and artillery systems – now stands at more than £1.3 billion.

London has given £500 million, while more than £190 million of extra funding has been committed by allies and partners, with Portugal and Germany contributing for the first time, according to Mr Healey’s ministry.

Britain’s new Labour government, which took power in July, committed at the time to continue giving £3 billion a year in military aid to Ukraine until 2030-2031. REUTERS, AFP