The UK will spend £200 million preparing British troops for potential deployment to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia, the Defence Secretary has confirmed.
John Healey made the announcement following a one-day visit to Kyiv on Friday, where he held talks with Volodymyr Zelensky about plans for a future Multinational Force Ukraine.
The funding will be used to upgrade military vehicles and communications systems, enhance counter-drone protection and provide other essential equipment to ensure UK forces are ready to deploy at short notice.
Mr Healey said, “We are surging investment into our preparations following the Prime Minister’s announcement this week, ensuring that Britain’s armed forces are ready to deploy, and lead, the Multinational Force Ukraine, because a secure Ukraine means a secure UK.”
After the meeting, President Zelensky said he was “grateful” for Britain’s continued support, adding, “It is crucial that the framework for ending the war includes a clear response from the allies should Russian aggression be repeated.”
The visit comes days after Keir Starmer pledged to send British troops to Ukraine as part of a post-war “reassurance force” organised by what has been described as a “coalition of the willing”.
Neither the UK government nor its allies have confirmed the size of the proposed western force, which is expected to include French troops. Reports have suggested it could total around 15,000 personnel, with the UK contributing roughly half, but ministers have declined to verify the figures.
Speaking in the House of Commons earlier this week, Mr Healey refused to give details on troop numbers, saying this would “only make (Vladimir) Putin wiser”.
During his Kyiv visit, the defence secretary also announced that production would begin this month on new British-made Octopus drones for Ukraine. The drones are designed to intercept Russian unmanned aircraft used in attacks on civilian targets.
The UK plans to manufacture thousands of the drones each month, with each unit costing around 10% of the price of the drones they are intended to destroy.
The announcement followed a major Russian assault on Ukraine involving more than 200 drones and 20 missiles, according to a British Defence Intelligence assessment. The strikes targeted civilian areas and energy infrastructure.
The assessment said the barrage included an experimental hypersonic Oreshnik missile fired at Lviv in western Ukraine. The intermediate-range ballistic missile is believed to have been launched from around 1,000 miles inside Russian territory.
Production of such missiles was banned under the 1987 Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty between the US and Russia, which collapsed in 2019 after repeated allegations of Russian violations.
British Defence Intelligence said Russia was likely to possess only a “handful” of Oreshnik missiles, noting they are significantly more expensive than other weapons used in the conflict. Their deployment was described as “almost certainly intended as strategic messaging”.
