UK to provide hundreds of air defense missiles to Ukraine using funds from seized Russian assets

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The UK announced on Wednesday that it will provide hundreds of air defense missiles to Ukraine using funds from seized Russian assets.

In a statement, the UK government said 350 ASRAAM air defense missiles will be provided to Ukraine using £70 million (approximately $95.2 million) raised from interest on seized Russian assets.

The move comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Defense Secretary John Healey travel to The Hague, the Netherlands, for an annual NATO leaders' summit, with de-escalation in the Middle East and support for Ukraine at the top of the agenda.

"The ASRAAM missiles can be fired using the RAVEN Ground Based Air Defense System supplied by the UK to Ukraine, with five more RAVEN systems due for imminent delivery, bringing the total to 13," added the statement.

"Russia, not Ukraine, should pay the price" for the war in Ukraine, Starmer said, adding: "So it is only right we use the proceeds from seized Russian assets to ensure Ukraine has the air defense it needs."

"The security of Ukraine is vital to the security of the UK and the Euro-Atlantic area, and our support will never waver," he noted in the statement.

Healey said he is committed to ensuring Ukraine has the support it needs to put it in the strongest possible position to secure peace.

"Russia’s indiscriminate missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities show that Putin is not serious about peace, and it’s right that we use funds from seized Russian assets to help Ukraine defend itself from this onslaught," added the defense secretary.