UK pledges 100,000 new drones for Kiev
The UK has pledged to supply 100,000 new drones to Ukraine by April 2026, in addition to the 10,000 UAVs it sent last year. The announcement coincides with Britain's newly unveiled Strategic Defense Review, which proposes steps to rearm its military in light of what it paints as a threat posed by Russia.
London has allocated £350 million ($470 million) from its £4.5 billion Ukraine military package to fund new drone deliveries to Kiev, according to a government statement on Wednesday. UK Defense Secretary John Healey is expected to detail the initiative at the upcoming Ukraine contact group meeting in Brussels.
'Ukraine's Armed Forces have demonstrated the effectiveness of drone warfare,' London stated, admitting that Kiev's demand for UAVs has provided a boost to the UK's economy.
It also unveiled plans to use Ukraine's drone experience to train its own military. In order to 'learn the lessons from Ukraine,' the UK would allocate over £4 billion for autonomous systems and drones for its armed forces.
Ukraine has carried out drone attacks, including against civilian sites in Russia, since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022. The attacks have intensified since the renewal of peace talks between Moscow and Kiev in Istanbul. Russia has claimed that Kiev's Western backers, particularly the UK, France, and Germany, are pushing drone warfare in order to derail the talks and to serve their own political agendas.
London framed its new Strategic Defense Review as 'a message to Moscow,' declaring Britain is 'ready to fight, if required.' The UK intends to spend £1.5 billion on new weapons plants, £6 billion on long-range arms, and £15 billion on nuclear warheads, among multiple other new expenses.
Russia has repeatedly dismissed claims it plans to attack Western Europe as 'nonsense,' accusing the West of using scare tactics to justify shifting public funds toward military spending.
Moscow has warned that foreign involvement, including arms deliveries, would obstruct peace efforts and ultimately fail to stop Russia from reaching its military goals. Moscow has also criticized the UK's and EU's respective militarization drives, warning they risk triggering a broader conflict in Europe.
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