This funding will "provide new vehicles, communication systems and drone protection capabilities, ensuring that British troops are ready for deployment."

The United Kingdom will allocate £200 million (€230 million) to prepare its armed forces for a future deployment of a multinational force to Ukraine, should a ceasefire with Russia be implemented, the Ministry of Defence announced on Friday. This funding, drawn from the 2026 military budget, will "provide new vehicles, communications systems, and drone protection capabilities, ensuring that British troops are ready for deployment," the MoD statement explained.

Furthermore, production of Octopus interceptor drones will begin this month in the UK "to bolster Ukraine's air defenses," the statement said. British Defense Secretary John Healey was in Kyiv on Friday, where he was scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

This announcement is part of the declaration of intent signed Tuesday by the United Kingdom and France, in which the two countries stated their readiness to deploy troops to maintain peace in the event of a ceasefire. Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to detail the outlines of this declaration of intent "as soon as possible" and assured that Parliament would have to vote on any troop deployment to Ukraine. This plan is rejected outright by Russia. On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that any Western military presence in the country would constitute a "legitimate target" for Moscow.

London wants to increase its defense

Meanwhile, Keir Starmer's Labour government reiterated its commitment to supporting its defence investments following press reports of a £28 billion (€32 billion) hole in the defence budget.

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister indicated on Friday that the government was aware that "defense demands are increasing with Russia's growing aggression." He emphasized that the government has planned "the largest increase in defense spending since the Cold War, totaling £270 billion (€311 billion) for this parliamentary term alone."

London has pledged to increase its defense spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035, in line with the target set by NATO.