Rustem Umerov and the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom discussed further military partnership and assistance to Ukraine

Minister of Defence of Ukraine Rustem Umerov held a meeting with his counterpart - Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom, Rt Hon Grant Shapps, who is on a working visit to Kyiv.

This is the second meeting between Rt Hon Grant Shapps and the Minister of Defence of Ukraine since his appointment, which demonstrates the British guest's great interest in Ukraine and Ukrainian Defence Ministry.
A long-time friend of Ukraine, Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, also took part in the meeting.

Rustem Umerov thanked Grant Shapps, the Government, and the people of the United Kingdom for their effective support of Ukraine from the first day of the full-scale invasion of the russian federation, emphasising that the United Kingdom is a true friend of Ukraine, and that bilateral relations in the defence sector have significant potential for expansion.

"It is an important visit to Kyiv of my counterpart, the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom, Grant Shapps.
I thanked our UK friends for their unwavering support of Ukraine. I informed him about the current situation at the front and about the urgent needs. We are focusing on air defence, artillery, anti-UAV defence systems," Rustem Umerov said.

The Minister of Defence of Ukraine informed the UK delegation about the priority needs of the Defence Forces of Ukraine. In particular, about the need to strengthen the capabilities of Ukrainian air defence, the need for artillery systems and long-range weapons to continue the de-occupation of the Ukrainian territories.

The foreign guests were briefed on the current security situation in Ukraine and about the consequences of constant missile strikes and drone attacks by the russian federation on civilian objects and critical infrastructure.

The parties also discussed in detail promising areas of bilateral cooperation, in particular, the implementation of bilateral projects to strengthen the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the near future and the longer perspective.

In particular, the focus was on the training of Ukrainian military service members under the guidance of British instructors. In this context, the training Ukrainian instructors under the "Train the Trainers" program was discussed.

During the meeting, the implementation of joint projects in military-technical cooperation, the development of the Ukrainian Navy, and the achievement of an appropriate level of interoperability between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and their allies from NATO member states were also discussed.

The Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom expressed words of support for the entire Ukrainian people and emphasised the continuation of comprehensive and long-term assistance to our country in the fight against russian aggression.

"We remain humbled by the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people. UK will stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and will continue providing support until Ukraine prevails", said Grant Shapps.