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UK and Ukraine Sign $376M Deal to Build Drones and Boost Air Defenses
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed to deepen military cooperation through a three-year co-production program for battlefield technologies and to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses with interceptor and long-range drones.
UK will also provide up to $376 million in sustained funding for Ukrainian defense initiatives. The agreement was reached during their meeting at Downing Street on June 23.
President Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Starmer formalized a landmark agreement to link Ukraine’s cutting-edge battlefield data with Britain’s defense-industrial base. Under the pact, technology datasets from front-line Ukrainian units will be integrated into UK production lines, enabling British firms to rapidly scale up design and manufacture of interceptor and long-range drones, as well as future air-defense systems.
“By harnessing Ukraine’s battlefield innovation and combining it with British industrial strength, we are not only accelerating support for Ukraine’s defense, we are also delivering security for working people through our Plan for Change. This agreement is not just about today’s fight, it’s about building the defense capabilities of tomorrow, together”, Prime Minister Starmer stated.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov told Ukrinform that during the first three years the UK will finance procurement of a wide range of Ukrainian-designed drones manufactured on British soil.
“This will support the scaling of advanced technologies, increased drone production, and the integration of our defense industries,” Umerov emphasized.
Beyond equipment production, the agreement builds on Operation Interflex, the UK-led training mission for Ukrainian forces. Since its inception, Interflex has trained over 50,000 Ukrainian recruits in infantry, engineering and explosives disposal, which Zelenskyy praised as a pillar of bilateral cooperation and force readiness.
Earlier, the Netherlands confirmed approximately $580.6 million commitment to co-produce 600,000 drones with Ukraine’s defense industry on Dutch soil and to deploy 100 mobile anti-drone radar units at the frontline, bolstering surveillance and counter-drone defenses before year-end.
