Milestone moment: UK-administered fund reaches £1bn in military support to Ukraine

The UK has confirmed a milestone moment in support for Ukraine, with more than £1bn having been provided to the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU) by the nine partner countries signed up to it.

The figure was achieved after further pledges from its allies followed the announcement of a £300m ammunition contract by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the Nato summit in July.

Ukrainian defence secretary Rustem Umerov has travelled to London to discuss ways of accelerating the delivery of the UK's military support for Ukraine.

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The Prime Minister announced the IFU's largest-ever support package at the Nato summit.

The £300m involves the supply of 152mm shells for Ukraine's Soviet-era artillery pieces. 

Sir Keir also confirmed £3bn of UK aid a year for Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Helping Ukraine achieve victory

Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed the contract had been signed and is expected to deliver thousands of shells before the end of the year – providing a significant boost for Ukraine's stockpiles and aligning with the Government's acceleration of military support.

Mr Healey said the latest accomplishment by the IFU shows the "value of working with our allies to deliver that support".

He added: "Our government is stepping up Britain's support for Ukraine to fight Putin's illegal invasion.

"We are speeding up deliveries of aid, with a much-needed ammunition package announced by the Prime Minister at Nato set to begin deliveries within months.

"We will continue to step up our support to help Ukraine achieve victory."

The IFU was first launched by Denmark and the UK in 2022 to provide a more efficient way for countries to pool resources to buy equipment and weapons to support Ukraine's most urgent capability needs.

To date, the UK has donated £500m to the fund.

Artillery has proved critical to Ukraine, and this new investment will support the country further in impairing Russia's forces and preventing them from making significant breakthroughs.

The contributors to the IFU are the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania, Iceland, Australia and New Zealand.

The MOD said further deliveries from the IFU's other contracts would continue through the coming months.