A £2.6 billion loan from the United Kingdom to Ukraine could help ‘turn the table’ on Vladimir Putin’s war machine.
The money is the UK’s contribution to a £38.39 billion loan package agreed by the G7 group of nations, funded by frozen Russian assets.
The money could be used to fund air defence, artillery or other military equipment and comes on top of the UK’s existing £3 billion-a-year support for Ukraine.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: ‘Our support for Ukraine and her men and women in their fight for freedom from Putin’s aggression is unwavering and will remain so for as long as it takes.
‘This new money is in Britain’s national interest because the front line of our defence – the defence of our democracy and shared values – is in the Ukrainian trenches. A safe and secure Ukraine is a safe and secure United Kingdom.’
The G7 – the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy, along with the EU – agreed in June to the loan, using the interest from Russian state funds frozen as a result of sanctions.
In the immediate aftermath of Mr Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian central bank assets held overseas were frozen by the allies and the G7 agreed to use the interest on more than £200 billion of immobilised funds to support Kyiv’s resistance.
The UK Government will introduce new laws within weeks to enable the transfer of the new funds to Ukraine as quickly as possible.
Defence Secretary John Healey said: ‘By using the money generated from these sanctioned Russian assets, we can help turn the tables on Putin’s war machine.
‘This urgent funding will directly support Ukraine’s defence using the proceeds from assets that had helped fuel Putin’s aggression.
‘The UK is stepping up our support to Ukraine, speeding up supplies of vital equipment and boosting our defence industries. We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.’
The UK has sent around 400 different capabilities to Ukraine, Healey recently announcing that the UK will supply 650 Lightweight Multirole Missile systems to Ukraine to boost the country’s air defences.
Earlier this year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitiri Peskov spoke to TASS News Agency about the potential use of Russian assets to fund Ukraine: ‘The Europeans are perfectly aware of the damage that such decisions may cause both to their economy and to their image, their reputation as reliable guarantors of inviolability of property.’
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today: ‘This is outright banditry and theft.’
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