UK Announces Record £4.5 Billion Aid and Military Support Package for Ukraine

The United Kingdom will provide Ukraine with its largest military aid package to date, totaling £4.5 billion in 2025, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on January 16.

The funding will include hundreds of air defense systems, drones, and essential equipment to sustain Ukrainian forces on the front lines.

As part of the package, the UK has awarded a £61 million contract to BAE Systems  to restart artillery barrel production in Yorkshire for the first time in nearly two decades. The barrels will be manufactured in the UK before being sent to Ukraine for final assembly.

The aid package includes £3 billion already allocated for lethal aid, as well as the first £1.5 billion from a £2.26 billion loan under the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration scheme.

The loan, backed by legislation moving through Parliament, will be repaid using profits from immobilized Russian sovereign assets.

The UK will also deliver a newly developed mobile air defense system, Gravehawk, designed in partnership with Denmark. The system, capable of repurposing air-to-air missiles for ground-based defense, was tested in Ukraine in September, with 15 additional units set for deployment this year.

In addition to military aid, the UK plans to expand its training programs for Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian officer cadets will receive training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, while British cadets will have opportunities to train in Ukraine.

“Ukraine’s security is our security,” Starmer said. “We must continue to do everything possible to ensure Ukraine is in the strongest position.”

Defense Secretary John Healey added that the UK’s plan will increase Ukraine’s military capabilities, expand training, strengthen defense industry ties, and intensify pressure on Russia. “We are stepping up UK support for Ukraine throughout 2025. Our plan will increase Ukraine’s military capability, expand our training offer, strengthen defence industrial ties and dial up the pressure on Putin. 

In related news on February 24, top EU officials arrived in Kyiv to demonstrate solidarity with Ukraine on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.