UK pledges £100 million for Ukraine's winter air defences

The United Kingdom has announced a £100 million contribution to bolster Ukraine's air defences ahead of winter. The pledge was made by British Defence Minister Wes Streeting during a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on Tuesday.

Streeting said the funds would be directed to the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) for the rapid delivery of air defence interceptors. He also noted progress on a previous commitment to supply 120,000 drones to Ukraine this year, with over 25,000 already delivered and thousands more expected before winter. These drones, he said, would help Ukraine strike Russian forces, counter Russian drones, and improve battlefield surveillance.

At the same meeting, U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby cautioned that Russia's war on Ukraine could continue for years. "We cannot predict when this tragic war will end," he said, adding that Russia is rebuilding its forces and defence industrial capacity. Colby stressed that Ukraine's backers must be prepared for a protracted conflict and for Ukraine's needs to persist, while also being ready for other possible contingencies.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reported that allies have allocated $10 billion to PURL and U.S. foreign military sales for Ukraine over the past year, including $3.5 billion from a Ukraine support loan. He described this as a tangible sign of EU-NATO cooperation and an example of Europe stepping up, while urging continued bilateral funding for PURL going forward.