The government of the United Kingdom has decided to allocate £245 million (approximately $310 million USD) over the next year to increase the artillery reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by purchasing and activating supply chains for the production of ammunition.
This was reported by the website of the British government.
The statement notes that the new funding package will replenish Ukraine's stocks of artillery ammunition, which are "critically important for waging war."
In London, it was pointed out that the Ukrainian Defense Forces have been "particularly commended" for their highly effective use of artillery for counter-battery fire - using drones and radar systems provided by Britain to quickly detect the locations of Russian artillery and strike back in response to destroy them.
"Today’s £245 million announcement comes exactly two years to the day since Putin launched his illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine – with artillery having proved critical to Ukraine’s battlefield successes, continuously degrading Russia’s forces and preventing them from making significant breakthroughs.," the release said.
In addition to the funding package for artillery and missiles, a new multimillion-dollar series of contracts has been signed between the procurement department of the UK Ministry of Defence, Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), and the British company Cook Defense Systems to provide hundreds of spare tank tracks for tanks and armored vehicles, according to the statement.
It is noted that this will allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to repair damaged equipment with anti-tank weapons and mines, and the contracts will involve a combination of funding from the United Kingdom and funds from the International Fund for Ukraine.
Furthermore, last week, the UK Secretary of Defence, Grant Shapps, announced that the United Kingdom will continue to lead the international coalition to increase capabilities for supplying advanced unmanned aerial vehicles to Ukraine, alongside the international maritime coalition announced in December.
