The package, to be provided using money from the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), will provide equipment to help its soldiers cross minefields and bridge rivers and trenches, Britain's Ministry of Defence said (MoD).
It will also comprise heavy duty plant vehicles to destroy Russian non-explosive obstacles and help Ukraine build defensive positions to protect critical national infrastructure, it added.
The new support comes as Kyiv's Western backers race to step up weapons deliveries ahead of winter after its summer offensive failed to muster the hoped-for gains on the battlefield.
It also coincides with the final contracts having been signed from a previously announced IFU package that will see more than 70 million pounds of air defence capabilities dispatched to Ukraine, according to the MoD.
They include the MSI-DS Terrahawk Paladin platform, which can track and destroy drones and protect infrastructure.
Britain's recently appointed Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the new air defence systems would help protect civilians from Russia's "barbaric bombing campaign" against Ukraine.
He added the new equipment pledged would "give Ukrainian soldiers what they need to breach Russia's deadly minefields".
Shapps will jointly announce the support Wednesday alongside counterparts from IFU partner nations at a wider Ukraine-focused meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
The IFU -- a funding mechanism that uses contributions from international partners to procure military assistance for Ukraine -- was launched by Britain and Denmark in 2022 and has raised 785 million pounds to date.
The contributions have come from its founders and five other members -- Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland and Lithuania -- and are administered by London.
Britain's Admiral Tony Radakin, Chief of the Defence Staff, said the new package was "the latest in an unprecedented and sustained effort by 50 nations" to support Ukraine's war effort.
He argued Russian President Vladimir Putin had underestimated "the strength and resilience of his opposition".
"If we stick together, and stay the course, then Russia will continue to lose, Ukraine will prevail and the rules that matter to global security will endure," Radakin said.
Germany steps up Ukraine weapons deliveries ahead of winter
Frankfurt, Germany (AFP) Oct 10, 2023 -
Germany announced an additional one billion euros ($1.1 billion) in military aid for Ukraine Tuesday, in a race to step up weapons deliveries ahead of winter.
The "winter package" includes an extra Patriot air defence system, as agreed between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week.
Berlin will also send two more IRIS-T air defence missile systems this month capable of short- and medium-range protection, the defence ministry said in a statement.
The IRIS-T systems are highly sought after by Ukraine to shoot down Russian drones and missiles.
Over the coming weeks, Ukraine will also receive 10 more state-of-the-art Leopard tanks and three additional Gepard anti-aircraft guns as well as extra ammunition and vehicles.
"With this new 'winter package,' we are further enhancing the readiness of the Ukrainian armed forces in the coming months," Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said in the statement.
Zelensky said he was grateful to Germany for the latest aid package.
"As winter approaches, this is exactly the support we need and the one we discussed with (Chancellor Olaf Scholz) in Granada," he said in a social media post.
The German ministry did not say when the newly promised American-made Patriot system would be delivered.
But training for Ukrainian soldiers on how to use the advanced surface-to-air missile system "will commence in the coming weeks".
The Patriot system will come from the Bundeswehr's own stocks, the ministry said.
Aside from the control unit and radar equipment, the system will come with eight launchers and an estimated 60 guided missiles.
The new air defence package "has a value of around one billion euros," Pistorius said.
The German government will also spend around 20 million euros on a support package for Ukraine's special forces, "including vehicles, weapons and personal equipment," the statement added.
After some initial hesitation, Germany drastically ramped up its support for Ukraine in the wake of Russia's invasion in February 2022.
The country is now the second-biggest supplier of military assistance to Kyiv after the United States.
The newest arms package was unveiled on the eve of another round of talks in Brussels where Kyiv's international allies will discuss the coordination of military aid for Ukraine.
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