The United Kingdom is preparing to spend “well over” £100 million in advance of any overseas mission to deploy British troops to Ukraine, Defence Secretary John Healey revealed in a Mansion House address.
The funding is intended to ramp up readiness for a proposed “Multinational Force Ukraine,” a 30-nation coalition being built by the UK and France to help secure Ukraine’s borders and train its soldiers if a ceasefire brokered by the United States goes ahead.
The projected cost covers personnel preparation, logistics and infrastructure, with some expenditure already underway. Healey stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin views Britain as his “number one enemy,” highlighting the perceived strategic threat to the UK and its allies.
He warned that Europe is entering “a new era of threat” and said British armed forces are being reviewed and bolstered accordingly. The lecture also included an announcement of a target for defence spending: increasing UK investment to 5 percent of GDP by 2035—a move critics say is ambitious if not vague on detail.
The UK has already provided £4.5 billion in support for Ukraine this year and is co-chairing the global coalition supplying weapons and aid to Kyiv.
While no deployment is immediate, the advance billing underscores London’s intent to assume a leading role in post-conflict European security. The scale and timing of the investment reflect growing concern over Russian aggression and the complexities of supporting Ukraine beyond the battlefield.
— based on reporting by Sky News.