UK Defence Ministry has not spent half of money from international support fund for Ukraine – The Guardian

The UK Ministry of Defence has not used even half of the £900 million military fund allocated for Ukraine.

Source: The Guardian

Details: The funds remained unused due to bureaucratic delays in signing procurement contracts. 

The UK-led International Fund for Ukraine has nine donor countries. Critics argue that it has been slow in delivering weapons to the combat zone. 

Out of the £900 million provided by governments over the past two years, including £500 million from the UK, only £404 million has been allocated or spent.

Ministers admitted that some of the equipment provided for in the signed contracts will not arrive in Ukraine until next spring. 

Officials from the UK Ministry of Defence stated that the need to assess each of the numerous defence companies involved in the tenders for the awarding of contracts has caused delays.

The International Fund for Ukraine was established in August 2022 to finance military training and equipment following the Russian invasion.

It was designed as a "flexible low-bureaucracy fund" managed by the UK Ministry of Defence on behalf of an executive panel consisting of the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Lithuania. 

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