Zelenskyy, Starmer, and Rutte met with British military personnel who are training on Ukrainian UAVs
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte held a joint meeting with soldiers from the elite British regiment The Rifles. The soldiers demonstrated their readiness to operate Ukrainian-made Nemesis heavy drones.
Sky News reports on this.
This visit underscored the shift from aid to Ukraine to strategic technology exchange, where Ukrainian innovations are becoming part of the arsenals of the world’s leading armies.
While Russia is trying to ramp up its own drone production based on foreign blueprints, Ukraine is already exporting unique technologies proven in full-scale warfare. The Nemesis heavy drones are designed to carry out complex operations deep behind enemy lines and destroy armored vehicles, which has sparked significant interest among NATO commanders. The joint meeting of the leaders demonstrates a high level of trust in Ukraine’s defense-industrial complex and the integration of Ukrainian expertise into the Alliance’s collective security system.
British military personnel are undergoing intensive training in the use of Ukrainian systems, which will allow them to incorporate modern methods of unmanned warfare into their own doctrine. It is expected that The Rifles’ experience operating the Nemesis will contribute to further refinement of the model and its scaling for the needs of other allies. The event marked another step within the technology partnership program, which focuses on joint innovation and the development of next-generation high-tech weaponry.
On Tuesday, March 17, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy began an official visit to the United Kingdom with a meeting at Buckingham Palace with King Charles III.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised during his meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy that support for Ukraine would remain a priority. The leaders discussed how the war in the Middle East could affect Ukraine and Europe, particularly regarding energy security and international support.
