UK Sends 10,000 Drones to Ukraine as Former Commander Takes Diplomatic Lead

UK Gives Ukrainian Arsenal 10,000 Drones as Former Commander Becomes Ambassador

The UK has promised 10,000 drones to help Ukraine fight the Russian invasion. While visiting Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps made the news.

Drone programs would receive £125 million (€146.3 million) in addition to the £200 million (€234.2 million) already committed, according to Defence Secretary Shapps. Ukraine’s 1,000 one-way attack drones and naval-target drones strengthen its defense against Russia.

Shapps praised Ukraine’s use of UK-donated weaponry to cripple 30% of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. President Zelenskyy appointed discharged Ukrainian officer Valerii Zaluzhnyi as Kyiv’s new ambassador to London, underscoring Ukraine-Britain’s growing cooperation.

Zelenskyy ordered conscripts from the two-year war against Russia to be released into reserves within two months to boost military momentum. A strategic shift in controlling the armed forces will provide discharged conscripts a 12-month break before recall.

Visiting Turkey is part of Zelenskyy’s diplomatic schedule. The meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will likely include the Ukraine crisis, the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and bilateral relations.

In his State of the Union speech, US President Joe Biden used Civil War analogies to warn of democracy’s vulnerability. Biden chastised his predecessor and urged Congress to allocate more help to Ukraine, portraying himself as a supporter of international collaboration against the isolationist administration. The geopolitical gravity of the current war is highlighted by rising worries among key NATO members about potential adjustments in support for Ukraine if Trump is re-elected.