Vilnius hosted the third coordination meeting of the Demining Coalition on April 25 to update Ukraine’s urgent humanitarian and military demining aid requests and to take stock of the rendered and planned demining assistance from the donors. Minister L. Kasčiūnas briefed the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on the matter.
“Currently, 22 countries are engaged in the Demining Coalition activity and a few more consider joining. The third Coalition meeting agreed on further assistance priorities and steps of support to Ukraine through training and equipment aid. Ukraine is dire need of such assistance, it is a meaningful expression of our commitment to stand by Ukraine in the face of the Russian aggression,” said Minister L. Kasčiūnas.
The central aim of the Demining Coalition is to meet Ukraine’s urgent needs in the area of mine countermeasures, to train and equip demining units of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine as soon as possible so that they can be put to use immediately in their area of expertise.
The Demining Coalition has set a goal to provide training for approx. 2800 Ukrainian troops for military demining tasks this year. Another 550 troops will undergo humanitarian demining training.
Plans for training and equipment supply next year are also already in the making. Members of the Coalition have a consensus about the top priority: transfer of demining equipment for contribution to the Demining Coalition Fund for prompt acquisition of the needed equipment to be handed over to Ukraine.
This week, Lithuania transferred to Ukraine additional M113 armored personnel carriers and committed EUR 1.7 million additionally to the Deming Coalition Fund. In total, Lithuania has already contributed nearly 17 million euros to the Fund. Yet another contribution to the Coalition aims is an order placed for humanitarian demining equipment, EOD suites and logistical support vehicles.
Lithuania’s current assistance to Ukraine is centered on four critical areas: air defence, ammunition, UAV and armored personnel carriers. We are committing finance for air surveillance radars and inviting to consider alternative ways of air defence system procurement. Lithuania also pledged to contribute 35 million euros to the Czech initiative for ammunition acquisition. Besides, Lithuania implements the national drone programme with EUR 3 million contribution for FVP acquisition in the Drone Coalition framework, transfer of surveillance drones to Ukraine worth of EUR 0.8 million and a deliver y of additional armored personnel carriers.
