The Belgian government has approved three packages of new military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 412 million euros. The final package includes minesweepers, armored ambulances and artillery ammunition.
This is reported by the Belgian agency Belga and the newspaper Le Soir.
Three mine-hunting vessels
Belgium will transfer three minesweepers in cooperation with the Netherlands. Belgium will provide basic training for personnel at the Naval Academy, and the Netherlands will provide on-the-job training for crews. The Belgian Ministry of Defense will also provide maintenance to the ships to ensure they are seaworthy and operational.
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6 million euros are allocated for this.
Reconnaissance drones will also be purchased. We are talking about an amount of 32.9 million euros.
300 Lynx armored vehicles
The second package includes armored ambulances — a joint initiative of the Benelux countries. The ambulances will be modernized and then taken to Ukraine.
In addition, the Belgian Ministry of Defense also plans to jointly purchase reconnaissance drones and will transfer about 300 Iveco Lynx (Light Multirole Vehicle) armored vehicles.
Ammunition for Ukraine
The aid package also includes the supply of artillery ammunition worth 373.1 million euros. The shells will be taken from Belgian warehouses and purchased from various companies. Money for the purchase will come from the Ukrainian Peace Fund.
Taking into account current assistance, total financial support for Ukraine from Belgium in 2024 will amount to 575.7 million euros.
Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson said that his country is ready to join in the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine.
