Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said Moscow must understand that the UK “won’t flinch” in its support to Ukraine, as he co-chaired his first meeting of a group of allies providing military kit to Kyiv.

The virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group of some 50 nations comes after the UK committed £100 million to boost Ukraine’s air defences over winter.

Mr Streeting said he had seen the consequences of Russian aggression and the Ukrainian people’s “resilience and strength” firsthand during a visit to Ukraine.

“In that spirit, I think we owe it to them to make sure we are giving them every bit of support we can to see through what is inevitably a challenging winter.

“And at the same time to demonstrate to the aggressors in Moscow that our collective commitment to Ukraine remains, that it is strong, that it is unwavering, and I think that’s really important for demonstrating that alongside the diplomatic track that’s under way.

“We know that this war will only end through a negotiated peace.

“It’s really important that Russia understands that we won’t flinch in terms of our support for Ukraine as they continue to fight for their freedom and, for that matter, for ours.”

The £100 million will go to supplying defence interceptors, large-calibre artillery rounds and drones supplied to Ukraine through the contribution to Nato’s prioritised Ukraine requirements list (Purl).

Mr Streeting said the UK is also making “strong progress” towards providing 120,000 drones to Ukraine this year, with 25,000 delivered so far, and thousands more expected before winter.

“Those cover a whole range of capabilities that will help Ukraine to take the fight directly to Russia, defend itself by taking out Russian drones, and also to see what’s happening both on the battlefield and behind enemy lines.”

The UK is also continuing to send large-calibre artillery ammunition to Ukraine, with the millionth round delivered in July, he said.

The UK recently agreed to declassify blueprints for British-made components for the Scalp missile, a French-produced version of the Storm Shadow, which has already been used to hit targets in Russia.

His German counterpart, defence minister Boris Pistorius, co-chaired the meeting, and said his country would fund several tens of thousands of long-range artillery ammunition for Ukraine procured through the British artillery and air defence consortium.

Ukrainian defence minister Yevhenii Khmara thanked allies for their help but said his country’s defence deficit stood at £27 billion dollars.

He said most of the around 1,000 Patriot missiles they have secured will not be available to them for years and asked for countries to supply missiles from their stockpiles right away which Kyiv will replenish at a later date.

US President Donald Trump’s undersecretary of war, Elbridge Colby, reiterated that the US goal is a “lasting peace” but said we must be prepared for a “protracted conflict” and for Ukraine’s defence needs to persist in the coming months and years.

“That reality makes it all the more important for Europe to sustain support for Ukraine while also accelerating its own rearmament and reindustrialisation,” he said.

He added that “words are not enough”.

“Real money … and industrial capacity must be put to work. Again, I underline that this is happening, but we must not slacken.”

Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke to the US president about the Ukraine war on Monday, with the two agreeing on the need to “continue working towards a ceasefire that prevented more loss of life”.

US envoys held talks in Kyiv on Sunday during an official visit to the country as part of an effort to end the conflict with Russia.