Council · Westminster ·
Budget 2026 sets out more than £10 billion in extra UK support for Ukraine
Chancellor John Healey used his first Budget to announce the largest financial package the UK has given Ukraine. Most of it comes as loan guarantees and export finance rather than direct cash.
The government has announced more than £10 billion in extra economic and military support for Ukraine. HM Treasury described it as the largest package of financial backing the UK has ever given the country.
Chancellor John Healey set out the package in the House of Commons on Wednesday 28 October, when he delivered the 2026 Autumn Budget. It was his first Budget since he moved to the Treasury from the Ministry of Defence.
According to HM Treasury, the money is meant to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia's invasion, keep its economy stable and keep essential public services running through the winter. The government says supporting Ukraine is also vital to the security of the UK and Europe.
What the package includes
The package has three parts. The biggest is £7 billion of economic support over three years, mostly provided through guarantees and financing arranged with the World Bank.
The second part is a £3 billion increase in UK Export Finance capacity for Ukraine, which will be prioritised for defence-related exports. This takes the UK's total export finance coverage for Ukraine to £6.5 billion.
The third part is £500 million of immediate military funding to strengthen Ukraine's air defences over the coming winter.
The headline figure is not all direct cash. Most of it is guarantees, loans and financing capacity. The package also comes on top of the UK's existing commitment of £3 billion a year in military support for Ukraine.
HM Treasury said that, including this announcement, the UK has now committed a total of £35 billion to Ukraine.
Reaction from Downing Street and Kyiv
The Treasury said Prime Minister Andy Burnham and the Chancellor told President Volodymyr Zelensky about the decision on the morning of the Budget, ahead of the announcement in Parliament. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Healey said the president had told them the news had made his day.
In a statement released by the Treasury, Mr Burnham said: "When I said we would step up our support for Ukraine, I meant it. This is the largest ever package of funding for Ukraine from the UK and it should leave no one in any doubt of our unflinching backing for as long as it takes."
The Office of the President of Ukraine confirmed the phone call with Mr Burnham. It said Mr Zelensky had called the support "a truly strong and very timely step" and had said that every step to strengthen Ukraine brings Russia closer to realising it must end the war.
The wider Budget picture
The Ukraine package was one part of a Budget that also set out higher defence spending at home. The Chancellor confirmed a target of spending 3% of national income on defence by 2030, and a further commitment to meet NATO's 3.5% target by 2035.
The Budget also included measures aimed at households, among them help with energy bills, alongside extra taxes on banks.
For families in West London who are watching their own budgets closely, the announcement is a significant decision about how the country spends its money and its role overseas. Because the package is built mainly on guarantees and financing, the actual cost to the public purse will depend on how those arrangements play out over the next few years.
The full Budget documents are published on GOV.UK, and the House of Commons Library has published a summary of the main measures.