Ukraine: Defence
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the role that defence and advanced manufacturing companies in Northern Ireland could play in future UK-Ukraine defence cooperation.
Answered by Luke Pollard
The Secretary of State for Defence is committed to strengthening collaboration between Ukrainian and British defence innovators, including companies based in Northern Ireland.
The Ministry of Defence has placed contracts with Thales in 2022, 2024 and 2026 to supply Starstreak High Velocity Missiles (HVM) from remaining stocks and to develop new versions of the HVM.
The Prime Minister additionally announced a £1.6 billion deal with Thales in March 2025, to supply over 5,000 Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) to Ukraine, supporting 700 existing jobs at Thales in Belfast. This was increased by a further 1,000 missiles following the agreement reached with Ukraine in February this year.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →