Spain, Belgium promise multibillion-dollar military aid for Ukraine

MILAN — Ukraine has received a number of fresh military aid commitments from its European allies, covering air defense, tanks and combat aircraft.

The Spanish government announced on Monday that it would provide military assistance to Ukraine worth €1 billion ($1.1 billion) this year as well as an additional €5 billion ($5.4 billion) for the period of 2024-2027.

Details were not made public, but Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told reporters the equipment would alleviate “ Ukraine’s key capacity needs .”

According to a report published by Spain’s national newspaper El Pais, Madrid’s pledge includes roughly a dozen Patriot anti-aircraft missiles, 19 Leopard 2A4 tanks, ammunition and counter-drone equipment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the two countries are discussing possible Spanish contributions to strengthen Kyiv’s air defenses, as Russian forces continue to attack infrastructure and population centers.

In Brussels on Tuesday, Zelensky signed a ten-year bilateral security agreement with Belgium, worth approximately $1 billion,, that will include the delivery of 30 F-16 fighter jets.

The first aircraft are expected to arrive later this year, while the rest will be transferred by 2028.

“The agreement guarantees Belgium’s timely security assistance, modern armored vehicles, equipment to meet our air force and air defense needs, naval security, mine clearance, participation in the artillery ammunition coalition and military training,” the Ukrainian leader said in a statement published on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The deal with Belgium will also cover intelligence and cybersecurity matters as well as further cooperation between the two countries’ defense industries.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——乌克兰已从其欧洲盟友那里获得了一系列新的军事援助承诺，涵盖防空、坦克和作战飞机。

西班牙政府周一宣布，今年将向乌克兰提供价值 10 亿欧元（11 亿美元）的军事援助，并在 2024 年至 2027 年期间再提供 50 亿欧元（54 亿美元）的援助。

细节尚未公开，但西班牙首相佩德罗·桑切斯告诉记者，这批设备将缓解“乌克兰的关键能力需求”。

据西班牙国家报纸《国家报》报道，马德里的承诺包括大约十二枚爱国者防空导弹、19辆豹2A4坦克、弹药和反无人机设备。

乌克兰总统泽连斯基表示，两国正在讨论西班牙可能为加强基辅防空力量提供援助，因为俄罗斯军队继续袭击基础设施和人口中心。

周二在布鲁塞尔，泽连斯基与比利时签署了一项价值约 10 亿美元的十年双边安全协议，其中包括交付 30 架 F-16 战斗机。

首批飞机预计将于今年晚些时候抵达，其余飞机将于 2028 年前交付。

“该协议保证比利时及时提供安全援助、现代化装甲车辆、满足我们空军和防空需求的设备、海军安全、扫雷、参与炮兵弹药联盟以及军事训练，”乌克兰领导人在X（前身为Twitter）上发表的一份声明中表示。

与比利时的协议还将涵盖情报和网络安全事务，以及两国国防工业之间的进一步合作。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。