British Secretary of State for Defence, John Healey, announced a “50-day drive” to arm Ukraine in response to President Trump’s 50-day deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the conflict.
“Last week, President Trump announced a new plan for large scale NATO weapons transfers and committed to getting these “quickly distributed to the battlefield,” Healey is expected to say during the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting. “The UK government backs this policy, and we will play our full part in its success to bolster Ukraine’s immediate fight and to support our own and wider European security.”
“Alongside this, the US has started the clock on a 50-day deadline for Putin to agree to peace or face crippling economic sanctions,” Healey is expected to add, according to prepared remarks. “As members of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, we need to step up in turn with a ’50-day drive’ to arm Ukraine on the battlefield and force Putin to the negotiating table.”
The statement comes as the United Kingdom has “completed delivery of nearly 50,000 military drones to Ukraine in under six months, in addition to 20,000 drones provided in the same period via the UK-Latvia co-led drone coalition, working closely with British defence companies to speed up procurement and delivery,” a government statement reads.
During the meeting, the United Kingdom and Germany are also set to announce a new agreement to partner in sending air defense technology to Ukraine. Germany is to provide “more than 170 million Euros worth of funding, which the UK will use to rapidly procure air defence ammunition via the UK-led International Fund for Ukraine for delivery in the coming months,” the statement explains.
