UK Ministry of Defense has used less than half of the money from the fund for Ukraine - media
Kyiv • UNN
The UK Ministry of Defense has not used more than half of the £900 million international military fund earmarked for Ukraine due to bureaucratic delays in processing contracts, having allocated or spent only £404 million so far.
The UK Ministry of Defense has not used more than half of the 900 million pound international military fund intended for Ukraine. This is stated by The Guardian, according to UNN.
More than half of Ukraine's £900 million military fund, managed by the UK Ministry of Defense, has not been used due to bureaucratic delays in issuing contracts
It is noted that the UK-led International Fund for Ukraine has nine countries among its donors. Critics say that the delivery of weapons to the front line is slow.
Of the £900 million donated by governments in the last two years, of which £500 million came from the UK, only £404 million has been allocated or spent
The ministers reportedly admitted that some of the equipment envisaged in the signed contracts will not arrive in Ukraine until next spring.
According to the Defense Ministry, the delays were caused by the need to evaluate each of the huge number of defense companies that applied for contracts.
The UK's shadow defense secretary, John Healey, accused the Ministry of Defense of acting "slowly.
The UK is united in its support for Ukraine and against Russian aggression. As Russia intensifies its attacks on Ukraine, its allies should accelerate military support. Instead, the UK government is delaying the delivery of crucial new equipment to the Ukrainians
The International Fund for Ukraine was established in August 2022 to finance military training and equipment for Ukraine following the Russian invasion in February of that year.
It was conceived as a "flexible, low-bureaucracy fund" managed by the Ministry of Defense on behalf of an executive group that includes the United Kingdom, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Lithuania.
Addendum
White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre reported that the US will send weapons to Ukraine "immediately"if the request for funding for Ukraine is approved by Congress.
Ukraine may receive the first shells from the Czech ammunition initiative in June this year.
