London announces new assistance package for Kiev - British govt office

LONDON. Feb 24 (Interfax) - The British government has announced another assistance package for Ukraine, which includes financing the reconstruction of power grids, mentoring by British military surgeons and retraining Ukrainian helicopter pilots as instructors, the British government office said in a statement.

The package includes 20 million pounds ($26.9 million) to "repair the energy grid and provide additional generation capacity," the statement said, adding that London had spent over 490 million pounds ($661.3 million) in the past four years supporting the Ukrainian energy sector.

Some 5.7 million pounds ($7.7 million) are assigned for humanitarian support of frontline territories, it said.

"Medical mentoring" of Ukrainian battlefield surgeons by British military surgeons and medics is also part of the package, the statement said, without specifying the disbursed sum.

The package enables Ukrainian helicopter pilots to train at a British airbase for the first time and to become instructors and train pilots themselves, the statement said.

In addition, the British government announced the establishment of a 70-member headquarters as part of the formation of a multinational force for Ukraine.

"As part of this multinational force for Ukraine, a 70 person headquarters is up and running and preparations for UK forces are backed by 200 million pounds sterling [about $270 million] from this government," the statement said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will attend a meeting of the coalition of the willing hosted in Paris by French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday while British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper "will also announce 30 million pounds sterling [$40.5 million] of UK funding to support Ukrainian societal resilience," it said.