UK reinforces Ukraine support as Starmer visits Kyiv in final week of office

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UK reinforces Ukraine support

Highlights

Since July 2024, the UK committed £3 billion annually in military support for Ukraine, delivering over 250,000 drones, 8,000 missiles, and 350,000 artillery rounds.
In Paris, Starmer secured UK participation in the £78 billion (€90 billion) Ukraine Support Loan, granting British defence firms access to contracts and government-backed financing.
The UK imposed sanctions on over 1,400 Russian entities and ships, sanctioned all four major Russian oil producers, and expanded European ballistic missile defence coordination.

Kyiv visit caps two years of Ukraine policy

As reported by GOV.UK, the Prime Minister is due to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv today to review progress in helping Ukraine sustain its defence against Russia’s invasion and to discuss where allied support should be focused next.

Starmer is expected to tell Zelenskyy that British support remains unwavering and that the coalitions, military assistance and long-term security arrangements built over the past two years are intended to last beyond his time in office. He says the UK has sought to place itself at the centre of a stronger Europe by increasing defence investment, advancing future warfighting technologies and helping to keep Ukraine in a strong position.

Since July 2024, the UK government says it has committed 3 billion pounds a year in military support for Ukraine for as long as needed and delivered more than 250,000 drones, about 8,000 missiles and more than 350,000 artillery rounds. It also says Britain co-founded and led the Coalition of the Willing, took over leadership of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group with Germany from the U.S., and helped generate more than $85 billion in pledges since the start of 2025.

Defence industry and European security implications

Earlier this week in Paris, Starmer announced that the UK had secured participation in the 78 billion pound, 90 billion euro Ukraine Support Loan, a move designed to bolster Ukraine’s defence spending in 2026 and 2027 while opening future procurement contracts to British defence companies.

The agreement between the UK and the EU gives British defence firms access to contracts financed through the loan, potentially unlocking billions of pounds in investment, while the UK government covers borrowing costs tied to contracts won by British companies. The government also says Britain has built a domestic drone production industry and developed long-term technology and intellectual property sharing arrangements with Ukraine.

The broader strategy also includes tougher sanctions on Russia and new European defence coordination. The UK says it has sanctioned more than 1,400 individuals, entities and ships, including about 600 shadow fleet oil tankers, and became the first G7 country to sanction all four major Russian oil producers. Alongside allies, Britain has also launched a programme aimed at strengthening Europe’s protection against ballistic missiles, drawing on lessons from Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

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