Zelensky and Hill in Kiev, Photo: Reuters
Ukrainian and British Defense Ministers Denis Shmyhal and John Healy signed a plan to implement the “Centennial Partnership” in defense development in 2026 in Kyiv today, Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reported.
“This is an important step towards implementing major projects enabled by the Centennial Partnership Agreement between Ukraine and the United Kingdom,” said Shmyhalj.
The “Agreement on a Centennial Partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” officially entered into force on October 15, 2025, at a meeting in London.
Å mihalj said that together with representatives of the intelligence sector and the General Staff of the Armed Forces, he informed Hilli about the consequences of Russia’s massive combined attack on Ukraine last night.
Therefore, “strengthening air defense and ensuring sufficient supplies of ammunition for it remain key priorities,” said Å mihalj.
In his words, “The United Kingdom has already made a significant contribution to strengthening our ability to repel Russian terror.”
Starting in February, Å mihalj announced, “we will reach the production of 1.000 ‘Oktopus’ interceptor drones per month.”
The Octopus-100 is a new class of low-cost interceptor drones developed by Ukraine to counter Russian long-range strike drones such as the Shaheda-136/Geran-2. The aircraft has gone from a battlefield-tested prototype to mass production across Ukraine and the UK.
Å mihalj and Hilli also discussed opportunities for joint strategic industrial projects in the field of air defense and long-range weapons, the prospects for localizing the production of Swedish Gripen aircraft that incorporate technologies from British companies, strengthening the protection of Ukrainian territory at sea, and preparations for the meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine scheduled for February.
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