The United Kingdom will allocate 100 million pounds (approximately 116 million euros) in an air defence package for Ukraine that includes Patriot interceptor missiles, drones and high-calibre artillery ammunition, intended to protect critical infrastructure and Ukrainian civilians from Russian ballistic attacks. The financing will be channelled through the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a coordination mechanism of NATO and the United States created to finance and provide essential military equipment to Ukraine, allowing Kyiv to receive the equipment before winter.
The package includes interceptor drones to destroy Russian drones, reconnaissance equipment to monitor activity on the battlefield and behind Russian lines, and attack drones. In April, the United Kingdom had already announced the largest supply of drones for Ukraine, composed of more than 120,000 units, of which 25,000 have already been delivered. The support comes after the United Kingdom delivered the millionth high-calibre artillery projectile to Ukraine.
The new package was announced during the 36th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which brings together around 50 countries and is co-chaired by the British Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, and the German Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius. Streeting stated that "Putin is preparing to use winter as a weapon, continuing barbaric attacks on civilian and energy targets", emphasising the importance of supporting Ukraine during this period.
The United Kingdom is also deepening industrial cooperation with Ukraine. At the end of July, the British Prime Minister announced that it will share with Ukraine the technology of a jamming system to bypass Russian air defences. In the coming months, London is expected to finance, together with Germany, Denmark, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, the supply of tens of thousands of long-range artillery ammunition.
