Ukraine to receive military equipment worth over $241 mln from partner countries

The initial support package within the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU) worth more than 200 million pounds sterling (over $241 million), which Great Britain and other European countries agreed to, will significantly boost Ukraine's combat capability.

The announcement comes on Wednesday after a meeting of defense ministers of NATO member countries in Brussels. Great Britain, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark have agreed to the first equipment package. Together with Iceland and Lithuania, these partners contributed over £520 million (over $627 million) to the fund.

"This equipment package will provide a significant capability boost for the armed forces of Ukraine and will support their ability to defend their country," said British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, adding that the UK-led International Fund for Ukraine demonstrates the commitment of the United Kingdom and our allies to ensure Ukraine receives the vital military assistance it needs to defend against russia's illegal invasion.

Within the first package of multimillion-dollar financing from the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), Ukraine will receive equipment, including:

• spare parts for tanks,
• unmanned aerial systems,
• means of electronic warfare,
• air defense.

Also, after a morning meeting of NATO representatives, 18 European countries, including Great Britain, agreed to sign a joint letter of intent to explore and develop a framework for improved surveillance from space through multinational cooperation and joint use of national space-based capabilities.

The agreement, which will launch the Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space (APSS), was signed by the United Kingdom, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey, and Sweden.

The letter of intent states that the signatory countries will study: the potential for sharing data from national surveillance satellites; processing, exploitation, and dissemination of data from within national capabilities; and funding to purchase data from commercial companies. APSS is expected to become operational in 2025.

"russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the importance of a persistent space surveillance capability, which also forms one of the North Atlantic Council's agreed strategic outcomes of its Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Vision 2030+," the press release emphasized.

On February 15, during the meeting, the heads of the NATO members' defense departments agreed to increase support for Ukraine, strengthen their means of deterrence, and develop measures to protect critical infrastructure.