UK will send the Ukraine military aid worth £850k

MINISTERS yesterday signed off an £850,000 military aid package for Ukraine – and refused to ‘rule out’ supplying arms.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond claimed that Britain does not have immediate plans to supply weapons, but pointed out that the situation was still ‘dynamic’.

On a visit to Warsaw, Mr Hammond also promised fresh sanctions against Russia if it does not agree to withdraw troops from the area. Mr Hammond said the sanctions would be designed to encourage Russia to follow the terms of the Minsk agreement – which calls for heavy weapons to be withdrawn from the front line.

‘We will prepare possible new sanctions, which could be imposed quickly if there is further Russian aggression or if the Minsk agreement is not complied with,’ he said.

The equipment bundle does not include weapons but is made up of 2,000 helmets, 150 helmet-mounted night vision goggles, 200 GPS units, 220 laptops and 1,000 first aid kits. It takes British spending on support for the Ukraine to more than £2million.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: ‘We are committed to supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Our gift of non-lethal equipment is designed to prevent further Ukrainian fatalities.’