A landmark agreement between the UK and Ukraine to share
battlefield technology has been reached today, boosting Ukraine's
drone production and linking up the UK's defence industry with
the cutting-edge technology being developed on the front lines in
Ukraine.
Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy
reached the agreement during the Ukrainian leader's visit to
Downing Street today.
Technology data sets from Ukraine's front line are set to be
plugged into UK production lines, allowing British defence firms
to rapidly design and build, at scale, cutting edge military
equipment available nowhere else in the world.
Ukraine is the world leader in drone design and execution, with
drone technology evolving, on average, every six weeks.
The agreement will allow that data to be shared with UK firms to
quickly build and produce large numbers of drones for Ukraine's
front lines. It will also ensure a defence dividend continues to
be delivered across the country - boosting Ukraine's defence with
deliveries of new equipment, while also supporting British jobs.
Initial agreements between defence firms in both countries
are expected to be rolled out in the coming weeks, with the aim
of delivering Ukraine large numbers of battle-proven drones
to continue to stave off Russia's barbaric invasion over the
coming months and years.
Prime Minister said:
“By harnessing Ukraine's battlefield innovation
and combining it with British industrial strength, we are not
only accelerating support for Ukraine's defence, we are also
delivering security for working people through our Plan for
Change.
“This agreement is not just about today's fight, it's about
building the defence capabilities of tomorrow, together.”
The agreement, which covers the next three years, underscores the
unbreakable friendship between the two countries, comes after the
two leaders signed the 100-year partnership between the UK and
Ukraine in January.
The UK will also allocate up to £280m of bilateral assistance to
Ukraine for financial year 2025-2026 today to keep the country in
the fight and ensure Ukrainians living through Russia's illegal
invasion have access to vital support.
The funding will support humanitarian, energy, stabilisation,
reform, recovery and reconstruction programmes. Today's extra
funding takes the UK's non-military support to Ukraine since the
start of the invasion to over £5bn. This includes £4.1bn in
fiscal support, and over £1.2bn in bilateral assistance.
The industrial pilots and subsequent orders will be funded
through the UK's £4.5 billion of military support this year. It
also delivers on the Strategic Defence Review's recommendations
for the UK Armed Forces to move towards a greater use of
autonomy.
Initially, the industrial partnership is expected to increase
information and expertise sharing between the UK and Ukraine on
drone-based air defence, but the agreement also paves the way for
both countries to work on capabilities for the future, long after
the war finishes.
It comes after strong collaboration between UK and Ukrainian
innovation and military teams and builds on the partnerships
created through the UK's joint leadership of the international
drone coalition.
The pilots and subsequent orders will be funded through the UK's
£4.5 billion of military support this year and the UK's
commitment to provide £3bn a year of military support to Ukraine
in future years. It also delivers on the Strategic Defence
Review's recommendations for the UK Armed Forces to move towards
a greater use of autonomy.
