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Ukraine’s allies have pledged nearly $48 billion in military support at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) in Brussels, vowing to intensify pressure on Russia and strengthen Kyiv’s battlefield position.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said five countries had committed new funding to purchase American weapons under Ukraine’s Priority Requirements List.
He thanked the UK, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Lithuania for contributions he described as being “in the hundreds of millions of dollars” and said he expected more pledges soon, without naming specific countries.
He made the announcement at a joint press briefing with the British, German and Ukrainian defence ministers on Thursday.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey, who chaired the session, confirmed that allies had pledged a total of £35 billion, equivalent to nearly $48 billion, in military support.
“The UDCG has a clear message to Putin: we’re more united and more determined than ever,” Healey said.
“We will step up pressure on Russia and we want to make 2026 the year this war ends,” he added.
Healey said Russian President Vladimir Putin had expected a swift victory.
“Four years on, Ukraine’s forces are hitting targets deep into Russia, inflicting high casualty rates on parts of the front line and taking back territory,” Healey explained.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin would deliver five additional missile interceptors, provided other countries contribute a total of 30.
“We are on a good path,” he said, adding that some partners were still finalising approvals.
Ukraine’s Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov thanked allies for continued backing, accusing Moscow of targeting civilians and energy infrastructure as it struggles on the battlefield.
“Putin cannot win on the ground, so that’s why he is terrorising the civilian population,” he said.
Rutte, who recently visited Ukraine, said he had seen the destruction first-hand and reiterated calls for sustained support, saying 2026 should be the year Russia is no longer able to continue the war.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. was talking to the right people in Iran to make a deal on Tuesday (24 March), as Pakistan's Prime Minister offered to host peace talks between the two countries to bring about an end to the conflict.
Both the United States and Iran are giving conflicting messages about trying to end the conflict in the Middle East as the rest of the world battle with the consequences of the war. Welcome to AnewZ's coverage of the tensions in the Middle East.
Afghan authorities say Pakistani jets entered northern Afghanistan, while Pakistan insists its actions target terrorism, highlighting continued strain after a temporary Eid ceasefire ended.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen resigned on Wednesday after her coalition suffered a heavy election defeat, triggering negotiations over who will form the next government.
Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, the Israeli military said, after U.S. President Donald Trump postponed a threat to bomb the Islamic Republic's power grid because of what he described as productive talks with Iranian officials.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said it is unfair for people around the world to shoulder the cost of U.S.–Israeli attacks on Iran, warning that Spanish firms have already lost €100 billion ($116 billion) in less than a month as a result of the conflict.
Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), said on Wednesday that the U.S. had “clearly made a mistake” in launching strikes on Iran, arguing Washington misjudged the resilience of the Iranian regime.
Russia’s Baltic ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga, major export terminals, suspended loadings of crude oil and refined products on Wednesday after large-scale Ukrainian drone attacks triggered a blaze, sources told Reuters.
The UK government is to trial social media bans, curfews and app time limits in the homes of 300 teenagers, as part of a wider consultation on restricting under-16s’ access to platforms and improving online safety.
Hungary will gradually halt gas supplies to Ukraine until oil deliveries resume via the Druzhba pipeline, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Wednesday.
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