Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting London on Tuesday to sign a new defence partnership with the UK focused on drone warfare, as the Ukrainian president tours European capitals in a bid to maintain allied support while attention remains fixed on the Middle East conflict.
The agreement, announced by Downing Street ahead of the meeting with Sir Keir Starmer, is designed to combine Ukrainian battlefield experience with British industrial capacity to manufacture and supply drones and related military capabilities. The partnership will also seek closer cooperation with third countries as part of broader efforts to strengthen international security.
As part of the deal, Britain will contribute £500,000 to fund an artificial intelligence centre of excellence in Kyiv.
Defence Secretary John Healey said it had become “increasingly important that we build on Ukrainian expertise and innovation,” while Sir Keir framed the agreement in terms that directly referenced the wider global situation. “Drones, electronic warfare and rapid battlefield innovation are now central to national and economic security, and that has only been further magnified by the conflict in the Middle East,” the Prime Minister said, adding that deepening defence partnerships would ensure the UK and its allies were “better prepared to meet the threats of the future.”
The visit comes at a difficult moment for Ukraine. Rising oil prices driven by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz are bolstering Russian revenues, while Western allies have been drawn into debates over the Iran conflict and the extent of their military commitments in the Middle East. US President Donald Trump has criticised the UK and other countries during that period over the scale of their response.
Zelensky has been travelling between European capitals to keep Ukraine’s war with Russia at the forefront of allied minds as the conflict enters its fourth year. In his overnight address on Monday, he said that while work with allies to boost Ukraine’s defences was continuing, the key to peace remained increasing pressure on Russia.
Ukraine has developed significant expertise in drone warfare through its conflict with Russia, deploying cheap, mass-produced interceptor drones to defend its airspace. That experience has already attracted international interest — last week, teams of Ukrainian military experts were dispatched to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to assist those countries in countering Iranian drone attacks.
The two leaders are also expected to discuss broader support for Ukraine’s ongoing defence needs during Tuesday’s talks in Downing Street.
