British prime minister Rishi Sunal is making a surprise visit to Kiev to meet President Zelensky as the UK announced it will provide £2.5 billion in miltary funding to Ukraine over the coming year.
The announcement was made just hours after Sunak authorized strikes against Iran backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as Britain joined the US in military action.
Sky News reports: The prime minister will sign a UK-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation with President Volodymyr Zelensky – committing the UK to provide intelligence sharing, cyber security, medical and military training, and defence industrial cooperation.
The UK will also provide £2.5bn in military aid to Ukraine in 2024-25, an increase of £200m on the previous two years.
About £200m will also be spent on a push to procure and produce thousands of military drones.
It will be the largest delivery of drones to Ukraine from any nation, according to Downing Street. Most are expected to be manufactured in the UK.
The package will also provide the country with long-range missiles, air defence, artillery ammunition and maritime security.
The Ukrainian president has said his forces particularly need air defence systems to fend off Russian aerial barrages.