(Bloomberg) -- Britain will almost double its military support to Ukraine with an extra £1 billion, to help the country move beyond defense against Russia’s invasion to mounting offensive operations.

The uplift in funding, to be announced by Boris Johnson at the NATO summit in Madrid on Thursday, will go toward air defense systems, uncrewed aerial vehicles, electronic warfare equipment and thousands of pieces of vital kit for Ukrainian soldiers, his office said in an emailed statement.

It brings the total UK military support since the outbreak of the war to £2.3 billion ($2.8 billion), which the government says is more than any country other than the US. “UK weapons, equipment and training are transforming Ukraine’s defenses against this onslaught,” Johnson said in the statement. 

Johnson’s office said the additional equipment is the first step in enabling Ukraine to go on the offensive against Russian ground forces, in order to restore sovereignty. The UK last week also announced a new training program to the Ukrainian armed forces.

The military support is in addition to the £1.5 billion of humanitarian and economic support provided to Ukraine since February, the UK said.

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