Since February of last year, members of the Demining Capability Coalition have provided Ukraine with various types of equipment worth over 470 million euros.
This was announced by Lithuania's Ambassador to Canada, Egidijus Meilūnas, at the “Ukraine Will Make NATO Stronger” conference, organized with the support of the Canada-Ukraine charity organization Mriya Aid.
“Since February 2024, coalition member states have delivered equipment worth approximately 473 million euros from their own stockpiles to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and the demining units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Meilūnas said.
According to him, international partners have supplied Ukraine with passenger and demining vehicles, metal detectors, sapper kits, demining robots, and other essential equipment.
The ambassador added that despite its relatively small size, Lithuania is allocating significant funds to support Ukraine in repelling Russian aggression. “This year, our total assistance will reach 1 billion euros,” he noted.
As is well known, land contamination in Ukraine with explosive ordnance is one of the greatest threats to the civilian population.
At the same time, on the front line, there is an acute need for equipment to clear enemy minefields and to conduct defensive mining operations of Ukraine’s own.
To address these issues, the Ukraine Demining Coalition was established in February 2024 within the framework of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. It became one of eight capability coalitions, and its work is led and coordinated by Lithuania and Iceland.
