Shapps made the announcement following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I am ramping up our commitment to arm Ukraine with cutting-edge new drones coming directly from the UK’s world-leading defence industries — straight from the factory floor to the frontline. I encourage international partners to join the U.K. in this effort,” Shapps said in a statement.
Drones have taken on an outsized role in the conflict in Ukraine, both for surveillance and attack purposes, helping to make up for Kyiv’s relative lack of troops.
In February, Zelenskyy announced a new “Unmanned Systems Forces,” a new section of Ukraine’s armed forced bringing the military’s use of drones under a single command.
