Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg plan to send M113 armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine soon to back Ukrainian forces in their counteroffensive efforts.

The defence ministers of the three countries made this announcement in a joint statement available for "European Pravda" on Tuesday.

The M113 armoured personnel carriers are said to be procured from the industry and refurbished. Along with the vehicles, Ukraine will also receive the necessary spare parts. The quantity of armoured personnel carriers and the timeline for their delivery to Ukraine are traditionally not disclosed, but it is stated that it will happen "over the next few months."

"With this free aid, we demonstrate that we continue to back Ukraine against Russian aggression," the defence ministers of Belgium, Ludivine Dedonder, the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren, and Luxembourg, François Bausch, mentioned in their joint statement.

"By joining forces, we respond to the requests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for further deployment of armoured vehicles," they added.

The M113 is a transport vehicle used by many armies worldwide to transport infantry troops on the battlefield from one point to another. These armoured personnel carriers are equipped with a remotely controlled weapon system and can also be fitted with machine guns.

Ukraine has previously received dozens of M113s from other international partners, including Lithuania and Spain.

The news of this new aid comes on the day of the 14th Contact Group on Defence of Ukraine meeting.