Europe
UK announces more than £10 billion in new support for Ukraine, with £500 million for air defence this winter
The UK government says it is making over £10 billion of extra financial support available to Ukraine, including £500 million for air defence this winter and £7 billion of economic support over three years.
The United Kingdom said on 28 October that it is making more than £10 billion of additional financial support available to Ukraine, a package the government presented alongside the Budget and described as the largest it has committed to Kyiv. It includes £500 million in extra military support for Ukraine’s air defences this winter.
According to the UK government’s own breakdown on GOV.UK, the package has three main parts: £7 billion of economic support over three years, the £500 million in air-defence funding, and a £3 billion increase in UK Export Finance capacity for Ukraine, prioritised for military support.
What the package contains
The economic strand includes up to £5.5 billion of World Bank guarantees and a £0.5 billion grant contribution to the World Bank International Development Association’s crisis facility, which the government says will mobilise £1.5 billion of support for Ukraine. The government’s page does not itemise the rest of the £7 billion.
On the military side, the £500 million for air defences adds to £750 million already committed this year from the UK’s Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration loan to Ukraine. Together, the government says, they bring UK military support to Ukraine in 2026 to £4.3 billion. It adds that this comes on top of an existing commitment of £3 billion in military support a year until at least 2030-31, or for as long as it takes.
The export-finance increase brings total UK Export Finance cover for Ukraine to £6.5 billion. We reported the rise in the cover limit earlier on 28 October in UK Export Finance raises its Ukraine cover limit from £3.5 billion to £6.5 billion.
Call with Zelensky
The Prime Minister and the Chancellor spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the morning of 28 October, before Cabinet, according to a readout published by the UK government. The readout says the Prime Minister told him the increase would be announced in that day’s Budget, and that the Chancellor said the UK would keep stepping up sanctions to press Russia towards negotiations.
The readout adds that the leaders discussed the upcoming European Political Community meeting and agreed it should be used to drive further support from partners for Ukraine.
Context
Before today’s announcement, the UK government listed total commitments to Ukraine of £25 billion: £16 billion in military support, up to £5.6 billion in non-military support and a £3.5 billion export-finance cover limit. The government has not published an updated overall total in the pages we read.
The government’s page frames the money as support amid Russian attacks on Ukraine; on those attacks on the energy system see UN Commission of Inquiry: Russia committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in strikes on Ukraine’s energy system. The figures in the package are the British government’s own.