London to co-lead a coalition to supply drones to kyiv
The United Kingdom announced Thursday, during a NATO meeting, that it would co-lead with Latvia a coalition of countries responsible for organizing the delivery to Ukraine of thousands of drones for help fight against the Russian invasion.
During a visit to kyiv in January, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced an increase in British aid including 200 million pounds (230 million euros) to provide thousands of military drones to the army Ukrainian.
This will result in particular in the coalition that London will lead with Riga, announced the Secretary of State for Defense, Grant Shapps, before meeting Thursday with his NATO counterparts in Brussels.
In this context, the United Kingdom will organize the production, including by British manufacturers, of drones “at scale and at affordable prices”his ministry said in a press release.
The objective is to produce FPV drones in particular (first person view in English, i.e. “immersion piloting”), “which have proven very effective on the ground since the large-scale invasion launched by Russia”, specifies London. Equipped with virtual reality headsets, their pilots can see live images of the terrain as if they were directly on board. “We will give Ukraine the capabilities it needs to defend itself and win this war, to ensure that Putin fails in his illegal and barbaric ambitions”declared Mr. Shapps, quoted in the press release.
During Thursday’s meeting, Mr. Shapps is also due to meet with 13 NATO members, including France and Sweden, a candidate for integration into the Atlantic Alliance, to sign an agreement concerning two programs aimed at increasing the production of munitions and missiles to replenish Western stocks and increase aid to Ukraine.
These initiatives are announced while American aid to kyiv is blocked in the American Congress.