UK to send £752 million and 120,000 drones to Ukraine

Britain is set to announce extra support for Ukraine, worth millions of pounds, as senior ministers hold a series of meetings with their international counterparts.

In Washington DC on Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to confirm a £752 million payment to Kyiv ahead of a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.

The payment, part of a £3.36 billion loan, is intended to help pay for weaponry including long-range missiles, air defence systems and drones.

Reeves said: “This funding will help deliver the military equipment Ukraine needs as it defends itself against Russia’s unprovoked war.

“I am proud that the UK is a leading partner in providing vital support to Ukraine, and we will continue to step up to do more while keeping pressure on Russia.”

Meanwhile, Defence Secretary John Healey will use a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) to announce the UK’s biggest ever drone package for Ukraine that will see 120,000 drones delivered to the country.

The package will include long-range strike drones, reconnaissance drones, logistics drones and those with maritime capabilities, with many produced by UK-based companies.

Healey said: “This big boost of battle-proven drones will give Ukrainian forces the capability they need to defend their people and fight back against Russian aggression.”

Drones have increasingly come to dominate the war in Ukraine, with the technology now responsible for the majority of battlefield casualties.

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine had captured a Russian position using ground-based and aerial drones alone for the first time.

Healey also urged the public not to be “distracted” from Ukraine by the war in the Middle East, adding: “Nothing will distract us from continuing to stand with them for as long as it takes to secure peace.”

The Defence Secretary will make the announcement as he chairs the UDCG in Berlin alongside his German and Ukrainian counterparts and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.

The 50-strong group brings together Ukraine’s allies for regular meetings, and was chaired by the United States until Donald Trump’s return to the White House last year.