Britain provides almost $4.5B to Ukraine to purchase military capabilities

The United Kingdom allocated GBP 3.5 billion (almost $4.5 billion) to Ukraine for the purchase of modern military equipment from British manufacturers.

That is according to the UK government's press service, Ukrinform reports.

The report states that a UK trade mission, formed of representatives from the Ministry of Defense, Department for Business and Trade, and the defense trade association ADS, visited Ukraine to hold meetings with Ukrainian Government and industry representatives.

It is the latest step in the growing relationship between the UK's defense industrial sector and Ukraine's, following the signing of a major agreement in July which will enable Ukraine to harness the power of UK industry by drawing on GBP 3.5 billion worth of export finance to purchase further military capabilities.

"The UK's support for Ukraine is ironclad. We continue to lead the way in providing military aid, but our support is much broader than simply providing equipment. Our flourishing defense industrial relationship symbolizes the work happening across Government and the private sector to ramp up and speed up our support," British Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard said.

The UK Ministry of Defense already placed contracts with Thales for air defense missiles and Sheffield Forgemasters for artillery gun barrels forgings, in order to warm up industry in preparation for further orders. Future orders are in the pipeline and will be funded by Ukraine, drawing on their own reserves and the GBP 3.5 billion of United Kingdom export finance made available by the UK to support Ukraine's war effort.