UK commits £100m to bolster Ukraine’s air defences over winter

Package of military equipment includes Patriot missiles, supplies of which have dwindled amid Russian attacks

The UK has committed £100m to boost Ukraine’s air defences over winter by buying a package of US military equipment that will include a number of urgently needed Patriot missiles.

The air defence interceptors plus large-calibre artillery rounds and other drones will be supplied to Ukraine through a contribution to a Nato scheme to buy American weapons.

Ukraine is currently unable to prevent Russian ballistic missile attacks due to a shortage of Patriot interceptors, leading to attacks that have killed civilians and destroyed food and logistics warehouses over the summer.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he wants to obtain 300 Patriot missiles, costing about $3m (£2.6m) each, to help Kyiv protect its electricity, heating and water systems through the normally hard winter.

The UK did not say how many Patriots it would be able to buy, but the number is likely to be only a fraction of the number sought, though other western allies are also examining how they can help Kyiv defend itself.

The UK defence secretary, Wes Streeting , is due to co-chair his first meeting of the Ukraine defence contact group, made up of about 50 nations providing military equipment to Kyiv, with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, on Tuesday afternoon.

The virtual meeting, also due to be attended by Elbridge Colby, the US undersecretary for defence policy, will discuss how to further provide military aid to Ukraine as the war heads towards its fifth anniversary.

The UK recently agreed to declassify blueprints for British-made components for the Scalp missile, a French-produced version of the Storm Shadow, which has already been used to hit targets in Russia.

Streeting said: “Both the prime minister and I heard loud and clear on our first visits to Kyiv the importance of supporting Ukraine through this winter, as Putin prepares to use winter as a weapon by continuing barbaric attacks against civilian and energy targets.

“We promised to mobilise allies and provide more support wherever we can. Today, we are delivering on that, strengthening Ukraine’s defences and, alongside 50 allies, converting commitment into capability.

“We will stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine until they win. Ukraine’s frontline is the frontline for freedom everywhere and our support will not waver.”

The prime minister, Andy Burnham, spoke to the US president, Donald Trump, about the war on Monday, with the two agreeing on the need to “continue working towards a ceasefire that prevented more loss of life”.

US envoys held talks in Kyiv on Sunday during an official visit to the country as part of an effort to end the conflict with Russia. While the talks were described as encouraging, no breakthrough was made. Zelenskyy said it appeared the war would continue into winter.