The Deputy Secretary of State for Defense and Minister for Veterans Affairs of the United Kingdom, Alistair Carnes, believes that Ukraine can strengthen its position by exporting its own defense developments to Western countries. According to him, London is interested in their implementation in the British Armed Forces and among NATO allies.
He stated this in a comment to Suspilny during a visit to Kyiv.
According to the minister, one of the key issues of the negotiations during his visit to the Ukrainian capital was the exchange of technologies, in particular in the field of countering drones. Carnes emphasized that Ukrainian solutions are among the best in the world.
“We need to help Ukraine sell these systems back to the West to build up its industrial capacity and ensure it has the resources to win,” the British government official said.
He added that the UK is interested in implementing these technologies in its Armed Forces and among NATO allies.
Carnes also confirmed that London will continue to support Ukraine in the war against Russia, and the British government advocates for deepening cooperation in the security sector.
On February 8, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is opening export centers for domestically produced weapons in European countries, of which there will be ten by the end of 2026.
Then he also said that currently there are about 450 companies producing drones in Ukraine. Of these, about 50, according to the president, are market leaders that need investment. So 2026 will be the year of investments in Ukrainian technologies, primarily in UAVs.
Back in September 2025, Zelensky announced the preparation of an “important decision” on the controlled export of Ukrainian weapons, and already in December last year he announced the opening of the first export office in Berlin.