Britain is allocating £200 million (about $270 million) to prepare its armed forces for a possible deployment to Ukraine, after pledging British troops to a multinational force that would be sent to the country once a ceasefire is in place. Defence Secretary John Healey announced the funding during a visit to Kyiv on January 9, 2026.
Vehicles, communications and drone defense
Healey said the money will be used to upgrade military vehicles and communications systems, strengthen protection against drones and improve readiness to deploy. “We are surging investment into our preparations,” he said, arguing that “a secure Ukraine means a secure U.K.” The Ministry of Defence said the spending will come from the core defense budget.
Healey also told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that production of Octopus interceptor drones, based on a Ukrainian design but built in Britain, would begin in January, with thousands to be sent to Ukraine every month to help counter Russian drone attacks.
The Paris declaration
The funding follows a summit of the “Coalition of the Willing” in Paris on January 6, where UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Zelenskyy agreed a declaration of intent on deploying a Multinational Force for Ukraine after the war. The force is meant to strengthen security guarantees for Kyiv.
Britain has not said how many soldiers it would send, and Starmer said plans were still being finalized. Macron said France could deploy thousands of troops and that partners were ready to move “a day” after a ceasefire.
Moscow’s warning
Russia has rejected the idea of any multinational force. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned that Western military units and facilities in Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets for Russian forces. The UK announcement came hours after Russia fired a powerful hypersonic missile at Ukraine, a strike European allies described as an attempt to intimidate them.
Sources
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