Hello, welcome to NewsHour from the BBC World Service.

The programme's coming to you live from London.

My name's Paul Henley and later on we'll hear from a multi-generational study of babies' brains here in London,

which uses games and brain scanning technology to examine how and when babies and toddlers develop

their abilities to learn and to focus. That's a bit later.

First, stepping into a gap left by the US at the group overseeing aid to Ukraine today,

Germany and Britain have announced big boosts in military support for Kiev.

The two countries are co-chairing the 27th Ukraine Contact Group in Brussels, which was

formally led by the United States. The British government said it would give a further

£350 million worth of military support for Kiev. The money would help fund new drones

and repairs to armoured vehicles.

In his opening remarks, Britain's Defence Secretary John Healy urged allies to take similar steps.

From the UK, we will spend this year £4.5 million in military support to Ukraine,

the highest ever level of spending.

And today I can announce £350 million to surge support for Ukraine's fighters on the front line,

a package that includes radar systems, anti-tank lines, and hundreds of thousands of drones,

and also funding to maintain and repair battlefield

equipment, part of a new effort to repair thousands of Ukrainian vehicles, a new effort that we

want you to join us in.

And Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius also announced extra military

backing for Ukraine, including air defence systems and tanks. He said Russia's actions were

proof that Kiev's military needed the maximum support from his allies. Russia is continuing

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