Sir Keir Starmer has said allies must “work in lockstep” to deliver global security as he prepares to host Volodymyr Zelensky for the signing of a new defence deal between Britain and Ukraine.
Downing Street said the partnership with Kyiv would bring together “Ukrainian expertise and the UK’s industrial base” to manufacture and supply drones and other capabilities. As part of the agreement, the UK will put £500,000 towards a new “AI centre of excellence” in Kyiv, which would be made up of experts working to see how the technology can best be used for a “battlefield advantage”.
Closer co-operation in the defence industries will also be sought with third countries under the partnership as part of efforts to bolster international security. The meeting comes at a time of heightened global instability in light of the Middle East conflict and the Ukraine war.
Sir Keir said: “We must work in lockstep with our partners and allies to deliver security at home and abroad, and this new partnership with Ukraine will do just that. Drones, electronic warfare and rapid battlefield innovation are now central to national and economic security.”
The new declaration will build on the 100-year partnership signed last year. Defence Secretary John Healey repeated his warnings of an “axis of aggression between Russia and Iran”, saying it made it “increasingly important that we build on Ukrainian expertise and innovation, supported by British industry”.
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte is also expected to meet the Prime Minister in Downing Street as part of the visit, with a trilateral discussion focused on the Ukraine war and “the need to maintain sanctions pressure on Russia”.
