Jonathan Beale
Defense correspondent
Reuters
European Minister of Defense has pledged air defense, missiles and other gear
Ukraine’s European allies have pledged 21 billion euros ($24 billion, £18 billion) in a new tranche of military support for Kiev, known as the “significant year” of the war.
More than half of this – 11 billion euros of aid over four years – comes from Germany. British Defense Minister John Healy said the pledge would send a strong signal to Moscow.
The announcement comes when members of the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group met at NATO headquarters in Brussels to pledge air defense, missiles and other equipment as Europe tried to fill the gaps left by changing US priorities under Donald Trump.
The European defense minister said that despite Trump’s promise to have a ceasefire, there are no signs of an end to the war.
Support announced on Friday also includes a £450 million ($590 million) package from the UK and Norway, funding Ukrainian radar systems, tank mines, vehicle repairs and hundreds of thousands of drones. The money is part of the £4.5 billion UK pledge made earlier this year.
Air defense was a priority in Brussels. Healy said Russian forces dropped 10,000 glide bombs into Ukraine in the first three months of the year and fired 100 one-way attack drones a day.
“Our calculations show that between 70% and 80% of the battlefield casualties are caused and given by drones,” the UK Secretary of Defense said.
Meanwhile, the German aid package focuses on artillery.
Boris Pistorius said Germany would send 100,000 rounds of cannon ammunition, 25 infantry combat vehicles, 15 battle tanks, 100 ground surveillance radars and 120 artificial air defense systems.
Berlin will also send four IRIS-T air defense systems to Kyiv, with 300 missiles.
“Ukraine needs a strong army and the negotiation process can lead to fair and lasting peace,” the defence minister told reporters in Brussels.
Defense ministers from 50 countries gathered in Brussels for the 27th UDCG meeting.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses informed his allies that America appreciated their work and informed them of the alliance.
Pistorius said that Hegses’ decision was a matter of “schedule” rather than “priority,” and “the most important fact is that he was involved.”
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Other leaders have joined remotely, including Ukrainian President Volodimia Zelensky.
Kiev’s defense minister Rustem Umerov in Brussels thanked Europe for “taking over the initiative in security support” in its country.
He also said that Hegseth attendees “meaning that the US is continuing its security assistance and that they are by the US.”
Healy, Pistorius and Umerov all accused Russia of limping into a ceasefire.
Healy said it had been more than a month since Russia refused a US-backed settlement. Pistorius said Russia is not interested in peace yet.
The European talks took place when US envoy Steve Witkov traveled again to Russia and began pushing the Kremlin to accept the truce.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Witkov would discuss the Ukrainian war, but we shouldn’t expect a “breakthrough.”
On Ukraine’s ground, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday it had acquired the village of Zlavka in the northern border area of Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials have not confirmed this yet.
Earlier this week, President Zelensky said as many as 67,000 Russian soldiers are located north of the Smie region’s border in preparation for an attack on Smie city.
