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 Keir Starmer 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 Keir Starmer 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.
