Britain and Ukraine will agree a military-industrial partnership to develop and export drone technology during a visit to London by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday, as European leaders push back against the risk of Ukraine being overshadowed by the war in Iran.
The agreement will combine Ukraine’s battlefield drone expertise with Britain’s manufacturing base to boost supply and ensure artificial intelligence is used effectively on the frontlines, Downing Street said. The two countries will also seek opportunities to sell drone technology to third countries, including Gulf states under regular attack from Iran-linked Shahed drones.
Britain will also invest £500,000 in a new AI centre in Ukraine focused on frontline applications.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was set to join the London talks, which will also cover the so-called Coalition of the Willing — a framework that could provide security guarantees to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire — as well as maintaining sanctions pressure on Russia.
Four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has emerged as a world leader in drone and counter-drone technology. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that allies must not allow the Middle East conflict to distract from support for Kyiv, warning that the resulting spike in energy prices must not deliver a “windfall for Putin.”
“Drones, electronic warfare and rapid battlefield innovation are now central to national and economic security, and that has only been further magnified by the conflict in the Middle East,” Starmer said.
Ukraine and its European allies have also criticised a US temporary waiver issued last week that allowed countries to purchase sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum products stranded at sea.
In a separate development, Britain said it was working with Finland, the Netherlands and other partners to establish a joint defence financing and procurement mechanism aimed at boosting munitions demand and accelerating investment.
(Reuters)
