UK boosts defence industry partnership with Ukraine following visit to Kyiv

Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard has led a trade mission to Kyiv to solidify agreements on Ukraine's future equipment and capability needs.

The UK mission also included representatives from the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Business and Trade, and defence trade association ADS.

The aim was to help UK companies understand Ukraine's priorities, and the MOD will arrange contracts to supply the agreed-upon weapons and land systems.

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Mr Pollard reaffirmed the UK's commitment to supporting Ukraine, stating: "The UK's support for Ukraine is ironclad.

"Our flourishing defence industrial relationship symbolises the work happening across Government and the private sector to ramp up and speed up our support."

The defence-industrial collaboration follows a major agreement signed in July which grants Ukraine access to £3.5bn in UK export finance to purchase military capabilities.

This funding is part of the UK's broader effort to strengthen its own industrial capacity while bolstering Ukraine's defence capabilities.

As part of this growing partnership, the UK has already placed contracts with firms like Thales for air defence missiles and Sheffield Forgemasters for artillery gun barrel forgings.

Further orders are in the pipeline, supported by Ukraine's own resources and the UK export finance package.

Task Force HIRST, a UK cross-government initiative that includes the MOD, DBT and UK Export Finance, is working to stimulate UK industrial production and international collaboration with Ukrainian companies.

Defence Secretary John Healey had already confirmed the UK was delivering on its commitment to speed up support for Ukraine, having surpassed its pledge to deliver 12 AS90 artillery guns within 100 days of taking office.

A total of 16 units are now set for delivery, with 10 already provided and six more to follow.