Britain will spearhead a new coalition to deliver thousands of kamikaze drones to Ukraine amid mounting ammunition shortages on the front lines.
The scheme will see Western manufacturers brought in to produce first person-view (FPV) attack drones, which are usually produced domestically, for the war-torn nation’s forces.
Announcing the scheme, Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, said: “The UK continues to do all we can to give Ukraine what it needs.”
It is the first project launched as part of the £200 million ring-fenced from Britain’s £2.5 billion military aid pledge to bolster Ukraine’s drone capabilities.
Baltic nation Latvia will co-lead the 15-nation international effort to re-arm Kyiv’s drone forces, with Mr Shapps adding: “Together, 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.”
Mr Shapps told reporters in Brussels: “Constantly, it’s the case that we need to make sure Ukraine has what it needs to win this war. It’s simply unconscionable to think they may not or could not win it.
“We know that Putin is ramping up production, he’s pushing his entire population into this war effort. We need to make sure civilised nations are prepared to stand right behind Ukraine.”
Ukrainian military commanders have spoken of the importance of FPV drones and how the weapons have changed the landscape of their war with Russia because of shortages of more conventional munitions.
Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary general, warned that the stalled US aid package, worth some $60 billion (£47.8bn), was already showing signs of impacting Kyiv’s battlefield performance.
“We see the impact already of the fact that the US has not been able to make a decision,” Mr Stoltenberg said ahead of a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels.
“I expect the US to be able to make a decision, that the Congress and the House of Representatives will agree to continue support to Ukraine because if we allow president Putin to win it will not only be bad for the Ukrainians, a tragedy for the Ukrainians but it will also be dangerous for us.”
Jake Sullivan, the White House’s national security adviser, said Ukrainian forces had been made to ration their ammunition to avoid running out, with the last US aid package sent to Kyiv in December.
“We cannot afford to wait any longer. Every day comes at a cost to the people of Ukraine and to the national security interests of the United States of America,” he told reporters in Washington.
“The stakes are getting higher. The costs of inaction are also getting higher every day,” he added.
“We’ve been increasingly getting reports of Ukrainian troops rationing, or even running out of ammunition on the front lines, as Russian forces continue to attack both on the ground, and from trying to wear down Ukrainian air defences.”
