Ukrainian authorities want to buy electronic warfare-jamming equipment, unarmed surveillance drones and armoured personnel carriers with new funding provided by the Irish Government, Ministers have been told.
The Cabinet agreed earlier this month to provide an additional €100 million in non-lethal aid for Kyiv, which said its priority would be funding air defence radar systems.
The Government said on March 4th that the funding would involve an allocation of €20 million for demining and IT projects being organised by the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. These projects are being led by Lithuania, Iceland, Luxembourg and Estonia. It said a further €80 million would go towards procurement partnerships for Ukraine being organised by several other European Union states.
Details of the precise nature of the equipment being sought by Ukraine under this arrangement were not set out at the time.
Why is Ireland the second most expensive place in Europe? These are 10 key areas where we pay more
Flight of the Trumpugees: The wealthy Americans fleeing the US for Europe
Ireland’s number 10 debate isn’t over, refereeing is in question and what else we learned from Six Nations
Burke family pays Facebook to promote its video of their Washington DC protest
The Irish Times understands that Ministers were advised privately by officials that the €80 million sum would be used to procure equipment from Ukrainian industry in partnership with Lithuania and Denmark.
Ministers were told that the non-lethal items to be funded would be determined in consultation with Ukrainian authorities.
However, it is understood they were given indications of the equipment being sought and that the top priority for Ukraine was the provision of non-lethal elements of air defence systems such as radar.
Ministers were also told that Ukraine would seek Irish funding to be used for electronic warfare systems such as jamming equipment as well as unarmed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance drones, and armoured personnel carriers.
The Ukrainian authorities supported Irish funding to be used for buying non-lethal equipment as the bulk of that being provided from other countries centred on lethal military goods.
In a statement on March 4th, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Simon Harris said the additional €100 million being allocated would be provided through partnerships with EU member states and the Ukraine Defence Contact Group Coalitions on demining and ICT.
He said this would ensure that the State’s support could reach Ukraine quickly, at a critical moment for that country.
Mr Harris said this was in line with the Coalition’s position of providing non-lethal military support to Ukraine and its backing for the country’s right to self-defence under the UN charter.
The announcement came just after the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has been condemned by the Republic.
Mr Harris said: “Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine continues, with deadly attacks on its cities and on its energy infrastructure”.
“This has reinforced the need to ensure that Ukraine gets the support it needs to defend its territory.”
He said the Government’s decision to provide the additional €100 million in funding “will ensure that we can continue to help Ukraine to defend itself now, and in the future”.
The Irish Times reported in February that the Government was to donate a substantial portion of the State’s ageing air defence systems – known as the Giraffe Mark IV radar – to protect towns and small cities in Ukraine.
The Government said on March 4th that the Republic had previously committed some €250 million in non-lethal military support to Ukraine under the European Peace Facility (EPF).
It said that at EU level, release of the majority of this funding under the EPF was blocked by Hungary. Consequently, the State had been able to disburse only a proportion of this commitment to date.
