The United Kingdom is preparing to announce today a plan to deliver 100,000 drones to Ukraine by the end of the current financial year, which ends in April 2026, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
This is a tenfold increase in the number of unmanned aerial vehicles with which the United Kingdom is helping Kiev, the world agency said.
London recognizes that drones have changed the way warfare is waged in the modern world, Reuters notes.
The British government presented the Strategic Defense Review on Monday, calling on the kingdom's armed forces to move to a state of "combat readiness". The threats facing the British military, including Russian aggression, were highlighted.
The £350 million ($473 million) package of drones is part of a £4.5 billion ($6.08 billion) military aid package for Kiev, the government said.
British Defence Secretary John Healey will announce the delivery of the drones to Kiev today in the Belgian capital Brussels, during the first day of a meeting of NATO defence ministers. The Contact Group on Military Assistance to Ukraine, which includes 50 countries, will meet today, Reuters notes.
"The United Kingdom is stepping up its support for Ukraine by delivering tens of thousands more drones this year and at the same time reaching a significant level in the number of strategic artillery ammunition", said Healy in a statement before the meeting in Brussels.
This is about 140,000 artillery shells delivered to Kiev since January this year, Reuters explains. In addition, London has promised to invest another 247 million British pounds in the training of Ukrainian military personnel.
The United Kingdom will be forced to agree to spend 3.5% of GDP on defense by 2035 as part of NATO's efforts to rearm and "please" President Donald Trump, despite no funding plan, Sky News and the Times newspaper reported, citing sources.
Senior figures at the Ministry of Defence are puzzled by Prime Minister Keir Starmer's stance on spending, namely to avoid committing to spending 3% of GDP on defence in the next parliament.
A senior Ministry source said that Britain "without a doubt" will have to commit to a much higher target in three weeks at the NATO summit in The Hague. The new target will be 5%, which would include 3.5% by 2035 on defence and a further 1.5% for military needs such as infrastructure. The UK will have no choice, the sources said, adding that Mark Rutte, the NATO secretary general, has already agreed the new target with the US president.
The UK currently spends 2.3% on defence. However, 0.2% of this goes to spy agencies and other projects that will no longer be classified as defence under the alliance’s new rules. This means that in practice the UK will have to increase spending from 2.1% to 3.5% in less than a decade if it wants to remain a serious player in the organisation.
Professor Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general of the Royal United Services Institute, told The Times that reaching 3.5% by 2035 would cost an extra £40 billion a year. According to him, this additional 1% for defense could be financed by increasing income tax revenues by 10%.