"Britain said it was allocating 200m (US$270m) to fund preparations for the possible deployment of troops to Ukraine, after pledging its soldiers this week to a multinational force for the country in the event of a ceasefire. Visiting the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday, British defence minister John Healey said the money would be spent on upgrading vehicles and communication systems and counter-drone protection, as well as ensuring troops are ready to deploy."
"The announcement follows Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday agreeing to a declaration of intent at a summit of the coalition of the willing of Ukraine's allies, outlining a potential future deployment. Healey said the funding announcement showed the government was surging investment into preparations for Ukraine. Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in a large-scale overnight attack, officials said Friday."
"For only the second time in the nearly 4-year-old war, it used a new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv's Nato allies. The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile came days after Ukraine and its allies reported major progress toward agreeing on how to defend the country from further Moscow aggression if a US-led peace deal is struck."
"Russia fired a total of 242 drones and 36 missiles, including the Oreshnik, to hit infrastructure in the western Lviv region and in and around Kyiv, Ukraine said. Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine would be initiating international action in response to the use of the missile, including an urgent meeting of the UN security council and a meeting of the Ukraine-Nato Council."
The UK is allocating 200m (US$270m) to prepare for a possible deployment of troops to Ukraine, focusing on vehicle upgrades, communication systems, counter-drone protection and troop readiness. The funding follows leaders agreeing a declaration of intent among Ukraine allies outlining a potential future deployment and reflects increased investment into deployment preparations. Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack using hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, including a new hypersonic and the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile, striking western Ukraine and areas near Kyiv. Ukraine plans international action, including urgent UN Security Council and Ukraine-NATO meetings in response.
#uk-military-funding #ukraine-deployment-preparations #russian-missile-and-drone-attacks #nato-security
Read at www.theguardian.com
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