UK contributes cash to NATO demilitarisation project in Ukraine

The UK is to contribute £400,000 to a NATO project to help authorities in the Ukraine to destroy stockpiles of small arms and ammunition, much of it left over from the Soviet era.

The NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) Trust Fund project has been established to help Ukraine destroy 133,000 tonnes of munitions and one-and-a-half million small arms & light weapons, as well as 1000 man-portable missile systems.

Much of this material is stored in the open, which NATO consider poses a major security threat to local civilian population and infrastructure. Safe destruction of these stocks also eliminates potential proliferation risk, said a NATO statement.

The project – the largest single demilitarisation effort in the world - is being billed as a practical demonstration of NATO’s "continuing commitment to support Ukraine’s defence reform".

The US-led Trust Fund project will be executed in four phases, over 12 years. The voluntary contributions to the Trust Fund, estimated to be in excess of 25 million euro, will be used to purchase new equipment and improve Ukraine’s demilitarisation capabilities. Ukraine will contribute in-kind to the costs.

The PfP Trust Fund policy was established in September 2000 and five projects have been completed to date. This is the second PfP Trust Fund project to be executed in Ukraine. The first project, in 2002-2003, destroyed 400,000 anti-personnel landmines (APLs). In total, Trust Fund projects have destroyed more than two million APLs in Albania, Moldova, Tajikistan and Ukraine.

Foreign Office Minister Chris Mullin said: "The United Kingdom, in partnership with the United States, is supporting this important project to destroy stockpiles of small arms and ammunition to improve security in Ukraine and in the region.

"Small arms and light weapons pose a serious threat to international peace, security and stability. Our support for this project is part of the UK government's on-going effort to counter the damaging spread of small arms worldwide. We hope that other governments will also support this worthwhile project."

(GB)