Group of European countries announce 116-mln-dollar donation to Ukraine

LONDON/COPENHAGEN, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) have agreed to donate 92 million pounds (116 million U.S. dollars) worth of air defense equipment to Ukraine, according to a press release from the British Ministry of Defence issued on Tuesday.

The latest air defence package consists of weapons and equipment purchased via the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), according to the ministry.

Making the donation through the IFU allows donor nations to join forces on major acquisition projects from the defense industry, avoiding "our own military stocks being pressed unnecessarily," Danish Acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a government press release.

The IFU was established following the "Copenhagen Ukraine Conference" in August 2022, and serves to handle financial contributions to acquire military equipment and provide aid to Ukraine.

The JEF is a coalition of ten European countries including the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.