British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Sunday a new $2 billion (£1.6 billion) deal to provide Ukraine with 5,000 air-defence missiles, funded through export finance. The UK’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that the missile manufacturer Thales would produce the lightweight, multirole missiles for Ukraine.
Thales stated that the missiles have a range of over 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) and are versatile, capable of being fired from various platforms, including land, sea, and air.
“This will be crucial for safeguarding critical infrastructure now and strengthening Ukraine’s position in securing peace in the future,” Starmer said in a statement during a summit in London. This announcement follows a recent Russian attack in which over 200 drones were launched in a single night, marking what Ukraine called the largest drone assault since the war began three years ago.
