Finland will supply Ukraine with the 11th package of military equipment worth EUR 28.8 million, according to the Telegram channel of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
In addition, the Finnish Defense Forces will continue to participate in training support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the UK until the end of 2023. “In August, Finland sent about 20 instructors to a UK-led training operation aimed at training the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The UK has asked for support from its partner countries to implement the training,” the report says.
According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the total cost of all military equipment supplied by Finland to Ukraine is already EUR 189.2 million.
A logistical operation to send military and military-technical aid to Ukraine began Friday, Dec. 23, according to the Bulgarian Defense Ministry’s press service.
“Starting today, a logistic operation will be carried out in which the aid approved by the National Assembly will be sent to Ukraine,” said Deputy Defense Minister Ekaterina Gramatikova.
In turn, the country’s defense chief Admiral Emil Eftimov said that the course of negotiations or the provision of military assistance must remain confidential.
“Learned conclusions about the course of hostilities in Ukraine – not only on the basis of the tactics and equipment used, but also the logistics system, the state and capabilities of the DIC in both our country and NATO and EU allies. On this basis, we proposed a certain set of weapons and equipment,” he said.
Bulgaria’s parliament on Friday approved a list of weapons that will be sent to Ukraine as aid for the first time since the full-scale Russian invasion, Reuters reported.
“The weapons list is classified, but government officials said Sofia will send mainly light weapons and ammunition,” the report said.
A total of 148 deputies from the 240-member parliament voted in favor of sending aid Friday, while the Socialists and the pro-Russian Revival Party voted against it.
Acting Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said Bulgaria, a NATO member, could not afford to send its Russian-made surface-to-air missile systems or the MiG-19 and Su-25 fighters Kiev needs.
“My approach was conservative because I need to ensure Bulgaria’s defense capability. The aid is fully in line with Ukraine’s priorities, but we are not sending S-300 systems or MiG-29 or Su-25 aircraft,” Stoyanov told Nova TV in a commentary.
Bulgaria has reportedly not previously sent weapons to Ukraine, but its arms manufacturers have seen a sharp increase in exports, a November report from the Bulgarian Industrial Association showed. In August, the Ministry of Economy approved arms export deals worth more than 1 billion leva ($540.22 million), most of which were destined for Poland, one of the key hubs for sending weapons to Ukraine.
According to Reuters, Bulgaria was one of the few EU countries that did not send aid to Ukraine after the Russia-friendly Socialist Party, a coalition partner in the previous government, blocked a previous proposal in May.
The United States continues to help Ukraine and will announce another military aid package in the coming weeks, U.S. Presidential National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Sunday.
“We remain stable in providing security assistance. You know about the one aid package that we just announced, there will be another (aid package) in the next few weeks, about a similar time frame and the same amount that we’ve been sticking to over the last few weeks and months,” Sullivan told reporters aboard a flight from Vietnam to the G20 summit in Bali.
“We are also consulting with Congress about additional resources for next year,” the Biden adviser added.
Sullivan is accompanying President Joe Biden on visits to Cambodia and Indonesia, where he has attended U.S.-ASEAN and East Asian summits, and where he will attend the G20 summit in Bali.
Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he had authorized a $400 million new shipment of weapons to Ukraine at the president’s behest.
The Pentagon informed that the delivery would include Hawk air defense missiles, four Avenger surface-to-air missile systems equipped with Stinger missiles, additional ammunition for HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems, 21,000 155 mm artillery shells, 500 high-precision 155 mm artillery shells, cold weather gear and other military equipment.
A U.S. Department of Defense press release noted that the new U.S. aid package to Ukraine was the 25th since August 2021. In total, since the beginning of President Joe Biden’s administration, the United States has provided Kiev with military assistance worth over $19.3bn.
The member states of the European Union have agreed to mobilize the fifth tranche of military assistance in the amount of EUR 500 million in support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell.
“Participated at Ministerial Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting. EU Member States agreed to mobilise 5th tranche of military assistance of EUR 500 million to further support Ukraine‘s Armed Forces. EU remains focused & steadfast in its support for Ukraine, together w partners,” Borrell said on Twitter Wednesday evening.
The European Union will provide an additional EUR 500 million in military assistance to Ukraine, bringing the total amount of aid to EUR 2 billion, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on Friday.
He said the European Union would provide a new tranche of EUR 500 million to provide military assistance to Ukraine, thus, bringing the total amount to EUR 2 billion.
