The UK and Ukraine sign an agreement on air defense missile supplies

The United Kingdom and Ukraine are signing a historic agreement on the supply of missiles for air defense systems from Thales. The British government has made this statement.

The statement notes that the agreement will contribute to the growth of the British economy and the creation of new jobs, as well as enable Ukraine to continue its fight against Russian war aggression.

The agreement will be signed at this year’s Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, Italy. This will allow for the delivery of more than 5,000 air defense missiles from the British company Thales.

The UK also confirms that it will provide Ukraine with bilateral assistance worth up to £283 million over the next year.

“This statement underscores our unwavering support for Ukraine—strengthening its air defense against devastating drone and missile attacks, as well as supporting the important work of rebuilding the country and giving the people the hope they so desperately need,” the government press service quoted British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner as saying.

The UK will allocate up to £10.5 million to the Public Administration Reform Program and up to £1 million to support Ukraine’s Green Transition Office in the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

In June, the UK government stated that London will boost Ukraine’s air defense with 350 missiles using funds from seized Russian assets, helping to protect Ukrainians from Putin’s attacks.

“The ASRAAM missiles can be fired using the RAVEN Ground Based Air Defence System supplied by the UK to Ukraine, with five more RAVEN systems due for imminent delivery, bringing the total to 13,” the statement said.

The missiles will be funded using £70m worth of interest generated from seized Russian assets under the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) scheme, the British government said.

In May-June 2025, Russia intensified missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, striking residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.