Britain allocates £200 million to prepare its forces for deployment in Ukraine
The British Defense announced on Friday that the United Kingdom will allocate £200 million (€230 million) to prepare its army to participate in the deployment of a multinational force in Ukraine in the future, should a ceasefire be reached with Russia.
The British Defense Department statement explained that this funding, which is part of the military budget for 2026, will provide new vehicles, communications systems and drone protection systems, ensuring the readiness of British forces to deploy them in Ukraine.
The statement added that the production of the Octopus interceptor drones will begin this month in the United Kingdom in order to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses”.
The allocation of £200 million is part of a declaration of intent signed by the United Kingdom and France on Tuesday, in which the two countries announced their readiness to deploy peacekeeping forces in the event of a ceasefire in Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to outline the declaration of intent as soon as possible, stressing that Parliament would vote on any deployment of troops to Ukraine.
Russia had already announced its rejection of the plan. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned on Thursday that any Western military presence in Ukraine would constitute a “legitimate target,” for Moscow.
Meanwhile, the British Labor government, headed by Starmer, insured its commitment to boosting its defense investments following press reports of a £28 billion (€32 billion) deficit in the defense budget.
A spokesman for Starmer said on Friday that the government recognizes that defense requirements are increasing as Russian aggression increases.
He explained that the government had planned the biggest increase in defense spending since the Cold War, totaling £270 billion (€311 billion) for this parliamentary term alone.
London had committed to increasing its defense spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035, in line with the target set by NATO.
