LONDON, March 17, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Britain and Ukraine are set to sign a defence partnership aimed at addressing the threat of low-cost drones, Downing Street announced ahead of a visit from Ukraine's leader on Tuesday. "Drones, electronic warfare and rapid battlefield innovation are now central to national and economic security, and that has only been further magnified by the conflict in the Middle East," Starmer said in the statement. The deal would also provide 500,000 pounds ($670,000) to fund an "AI Centre of Excellence" to be integrated into the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to London on Tuesday comes after he expressed concerns that global attention on the Middle East conflict could overshadow Ukraine's war with Russia. Ukraine's European allies have vowed to keep up their support for Kyiv after Washington partly rolled back sanctions against Moscow to cool oil prices sent soaring by the Middle East war.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha March 17, 2026 07:40 UTC