UK to provide 10,000 artillery rounds, helicopters to Ukraine

The UK will provide an additional 10,000 artillery rounds and helicopters to Ukraine, the British government said Wednesday.

The announcement by Defense Secretary Ben Wallace came during a visit to Norway.

“The rounds will enhance Ukraine’s defensive capability and come as the first delivery of Sea King helicopters arrive in Ukraine to provide key search and rescue capabilities,” a statement said.

The British Royal Navy “provided a six-week programme of Sea King training in the UK for 10 crews of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and associated engineers,” it said.

The additional military aid comes after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited Kyiv on the weekend, where he announced a £50 million ($59.6 million) package of defense aid.

“That package included 125 anti-aircraft guns and technology to counter deadly Iranian-supplied drones, including dozens of radars and anti-drone electronic warfare capability.”

“Our support for Ukraine is unwavering,” Wallace said.

“These additional artillery rounds will help Ukraine secure the land it has reclaimed from Russia in recent weeks.”

Wallace is visiting Norway where he will “host a meeting of the Northern Group of defense ministers onboard the UK’s aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth,” according to the statement.

The meeting is expected to cover the “implications of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, security developments in Northern Europe, and Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership applications,” it said.

The Northern Group is a UK initiative which includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and the UK.

The UK is also supplying winter kit to Ukraine’s troops, the statement added.