UK announces new drone deal to help Ukraine tackle Russian threat in Black Sea

The UK has announced a new deal that will see Ukrainian Armed Forces backed with drones to tackle the Russian threat in the Black Sea.

The deal, backed by the International Fund for Ukraine, will see Anglo-American company Anduril UK supply Kyiv with cutting edge Altius 600m and Altius 700m drones.

The pair are loitering munitions, designed to monitor an area before striking any targets that enter it.

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As well as drones, the Ukrainian military will receive launchers and spare parts as part of the nearly-£30m deal.

Defence Secretary John Healey visited the manufacturer of the drones during a visit to Washington DC where he is set to meet his US counterpart Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon.

"We are determined to achieve a secure, lasting peace in Ukraine, which means putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position to prevent any return to Russian aggression," Mr Healey said.

"The UK has already provided more than 10,000 drones to Ukraine's Armed Forces, which have proved vital in disrupting Russian troop advances and targeting positions behind the frontline.

"With a £2.26bn loan from seized Russian assets, plus £1.6bn worth of air defence missiles announced for Ukraine in the last week, the UK is continuing to show leadership in securing a lasting peace for Ukraine."

It comes after the UK and allies agreed last week that military support for Ukraine needed to continue.

This week, the US has stopped military aid to Ukraine and decided to stop sharing intelligence with Kyiv.

It was also announced that France offered to share intelligence with Ukraine after the US announced it would suspend the sharing.

In an interview with a French radio station, France's defence minister, Sebastien Lecornu, said they have the resources to help Ukraine.

But Mr Lecornu acknowledged that "for our British friends who are in an intelligence community with the United States, it is more complicated".

France is not part of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing agreement, like the UK. 

The agreement sees information shared between the UK, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.