Half of British military defense fund for Ukraine remains unused
More than half of the U.K.'s 900 million pound (over $1 billion) military fund for Ukraine remains unused due to bureaucratic delays in handing out contracts, the Guardian reports.
The #British Ministry of Defense manages a coalition of about nine countries called the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU). The IFU is a funding mechanism that was created in August 2022 and uses financial contributions from nine other countries to procure military equipment for Ukraine. Some of the other countries in the initiative include Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland, and Lithuania.
The IFU has been criticized for its slow provision of weapons to the frontlines. Of the more than $1 billion that's been donated by Western countries over the last two years, of which $600 million came from the U.K., only about $500 million has been committed or spent.
Some British officials even admitted that some of the materials that were purchased would not reach Ukraine until Spring 2025.
