British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be in Kiev today and will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On this occasion, 10 Downing Street reports in a statement, a “major support package” of £2.5 billion in military aid will be announced for 2024 and 2025: £200 million more than in the previous two years.
The Prime Minister and Zelensky will also sign a landmark security cooperation agreement between the UK and Ukraine, covering information sharing, cybersecurity, medical and military training and defense industrial cooperation. The agreement also requires the UK to consult with Ukraine if it is attacked by Russia again and to provide “prompt and sustained” assistance to its defense.
Of the £2.5 billion, at least £200 million will be spent on increasing the procurement and rapid production of thousands of military drones for Ukraine, including surveillance drones and long-range attack drones. “The technology will give Ukraine cutting-edge capabilities to defend its citizens and attack Russian invading forces on land and at sea,” the British government says. “For two years – emphasizes Sunak – Ukraine has been fighting with great courage to repel a brutal Russian invasion. She is still fighting and is unshakable in her determination to defend her country and the principles of freedom and democracy. Today I am here with a message: the United Kingdom will not waver either. We will stand with Ukraine in its darkest hours and in the best times yet to come.”