UK to supply Ukraine with thousands of drones

The UK will supply thousands of drones to Ukraine as the Ministry of Defence pledged to stand with Kyiv “for as long as it takes”.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the UK will jointly lead a major drone capability coalition with Latvia that will include the provision of first-person view (FPV) and sea drones.

The UK’s latest support for Ukraine comes as Kyiv moved to a defensive posture amid critical shortages on the battlefield.

Sea drones are small, unmanned vessels that can be used for clearing mines, carrying out surveillance or detonating enemy ships.

Ukraine’s military released footage on Wednesday which appeared to show a Ukrainian sea drone destroying a Russian landing ship in the Black Sea.

FPV drones are used to locate enemy positions, armoured vehicles, and ships using low-quality cameras before targeting them with explosive ordnance. The Ministry of Defence said these drones have “proven highly effective”.

Mr Shapps said: “Together, we will give Ukraine the capabilities it needs to defend itself and win this war, to ensure that Putin fails in his illegal and barbaric ambitions.”

This is the first project that will be launched from the £200 million drone package announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in January and will increase the UK’s military aid to Ukraine to £2.5 billion this year.

The statement from the Ministry of Defence said: “The UK is committed to standing with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Some of the drones will be ordered from UK manufacturers which the MoD said will provide a boost to the industry.

This comes after it was announced on Thursday morning that gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 0.3% in the last three months of 2023, meaning the UK entered a recession, after two quarters of negative growth.

The UK’s pledge comes after Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron urged US lawmakers to pass a Bill including support for Ukraine for the sake of global security on Wednesday.

But Lord Cameron’s intervention was blasted by Republican right-winger Marjorie Taylor Greene, who told the Foreign Secretary to “kiss my ass”.

Former president Donald Trump opposed the Bill and alarmed Nato members after he suggested he would tell Russia to attack Nato allies he considered delinquent.

Mr Shapps will be meeting with Nato members on Thursday to sign an agreement on two new multinational procurement initiatives that will aim to increase support for Ukraine.

The Defence Secretary will also discuss support for Kyiv when he attends the Munich Security Conference on Friday.