Britain will transfer the first 350 air defense missiles to Ukraine, paid for with frozen Russian assets
Kyiv • UNN
The UK will transfer 350 air defense missiles to Ukraine, financed by interest from frozen Russian assets. This is the first time such funds have been used for direct financing of armaments.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine, which includes 350 modern missiles for air defense systems. The military aid will be provided from the interest earned by Britain on frozen Russian assets, UNN writes, citing The Guardian.
Details
The UK will send 350 modern air defense missiles, created in the UK and adapted in record time for ground launch. This project has invested £70 million, raised through the government's Emergency Revenue Acceleration (ERA) program. This move marks the first time the UK has used Russia-related funds to directly finance arms for Kyiv.
The missiles will be deployed using Raven systems supplied by the UK. Five of them are heading to Ukraine, bringing their total number in our country to 13. Initially designed as air-to-air missiles, ASRAAMs have been upgraded by Royal Air Force and MBDA UK engineers to fire from the back of a British-made truck. The conversion took only three months.
Starmer, speaking ahead of the annual NATO summit in The Hague, said: "Russia, not Ukraine, must pay the price for Putin's barbaric and illegal war. It is entirely right that we use seized Russian assets to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses. Ukraine's security is vital to our own."
Defense Secretary John Healey said the missiles will save lives and are proof that the UK's military and industrial base can adapt to the needs of modern warfare. He accused Moscow of continuing indiscriminate missile attacks and made it clear that "Putin is not serious about peace."
The new package is part of the UK's largest ever annual commitment to Ukraine – £4.5 billion in military aid. It follows a £1.6 billion deal agreed in March for more than 5,000 air defense missiles and a separate £350 million investment to increase drone supplies tenfold.
Ministers are also using the NATO summit to discuss the escalation in the Middle East and to push allies towards long-term defense spending.
Ahead of the NATO summit, the Prime Minister agreed with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on close cooperation in the field of military production between the United Kingdom and Ukraine.
Following a meeting at the Prime Minister's residence on Downing Street on Monday, they announced a new military partnership in front of soldiers from the United Kingdom, Ukraine and other Western allies.
Addition
Zelenskyy and Starmer discussed the development of defense cooperation. Agreements were reached to strengthen Ukrainian air defense and joint production of drones. The leaders also discussed new sanctions against Russia.