Thank you so much. Thank you very much.
Lord Speaker, Mr. Speaker,
Mr. Prime Minister – dear Keir, Mr. Secretary General – dear Mark,
Dear Members of Parliament,
Dear journalists,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for all your attention to us, to Ukraine, and for the support that Britain and the British people have given us since the start of Russia’s full-scale war. Together, we have saved many lives. And we can save many more. Now, among Ukrainians, trust in the United Kingdom is one of the highest compared to all our partners – and it is absolutely well-deserved. It comes from your support, your leadership, and your cooperation with us. When Ukrainians think of Britain, they know they can trust it. And I thank you for that. Thank you.
And I’m grateful that you truly care about what will happen – to security, to our cities and villages, to our countries, and to our Europe, and – to our world. We are another generation that must think about what comes next for the world. This means we are already in history. But it is up to us whether history stops with us, or continues – as human history. Not AI, not drones, not anything like that… will this still be a world where people live above the ground, under the sun – not underground, under concrete, just to stay safe? It is up to us to decide. And we are here in this great building of the British Parliament, calm and safe – not in a shelter. On your way here, you saw tree branches over the streets, not protective nets against FPV-drones. And all of us here worry a little about having fast mobile internet or Wi-Fi nearby – not about whether strong mobile air defense teams are on duty close to us. This way of life – open space, normal streets, normal buildings, not underground – feels so simple, so familiar, as if it has always been there. It is almost impossible to imagine it ending. But what guarantees that it will continue? Only our determination.
The world has entered a completely new time – a time of drones, a time of AI. This means – the evolution of weapons – the evolution of war, and the evolution of crime.
No one can predict where this evolution will lead. But we must keep up with it – and even more, we must stay ahead of it.
People want certainty. And it is always the strongest demand any society makes of its leaders. People want to know what tomorrow will bring. And people want to believe that tomorrow, for their children, for their families, will be at least no worse than today for them. And when they don’t see a future, people begin to support those who reject everything – offering something entirely different, something that can break the very foundations of society…
So we must have an answer – that tomorrow will be at least safe. This is the foundation. Without security, there is no strong economy, and there are no social services that truly work, and no real hope – hope for a normal life, life for our children. And this is our duty – the duty of this generation of leaders who are acting now. We must deliver real security. Safety on the streets, safety at home, the protection of our culture, and real respect for the rights and security of our people, and national security – proven by war.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Right now, there are 201 Ukrainians in the Middle East and the Gulf region. And another 34 are ready to deploy.
These are military experts, experts who know how to help, how to defend against “shahed” drones. Our teams are already in the Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and on the way to Kuwait. We are working with several other countries – agreements are already in place. We do not want this terror of the Iranian regime against its neighbors to succeed.
And I sent these military experts at the request of our partners – including the United States. In fact, this is part of the Drone Deal we proposed to the United States, which we worked on together and which is still on the table.
And we are ready to offer similar deals to all our reliable partners – from practical cooperation on drones to future defense alliances. And I don’t think anyone would want to leave Ukraine’s war-proven strength and capability outside their security. If someone does, it wouldn't be wise. The United Kingdom sees these opportunities clearly – our agreements are always solid, and I’m glad that today we have signed a declaration with the Prime Minister. Thank you very much, Keir.
Armies in the Middle East and the Gulf region have good protection against missiles, including Iranian ballistic ones. Patriot and THAAD systems work well – though they are expensive. But terrorist regimes always look for ways to break through defenses and make killing cheaper.
Iran began producing “shahed” drones years ago – attack drones that are now, after upgrades, even more dangerous than missiles.
In Ukraine, we had to learn how to defend against them. About 3 years ago, Russia received “shaheds” from the Iranian regime. These are drones designed for the low-cost destruction of the expensive critical infrastructure targets. Iran taught Russia how to launch them and gave it the technology to produce them. Russia then upgraded them. And now we have clear evidence that Iranian “shaheds” used in the region contain Russian components.
So what is happening around Iran today is not a faraway war for us – because of the cooperation between Russia and Iran. And we do not believe we have the right to be indifferent – even if we are separated from human suffering or shared danger by an ocean, however big and beautiful, or by anything else. Ballistic missiles can strike at thousands of kilometers. Drones can do the same. But if evil wins, the evolution of war will cross any distance on earth – no ocean will help, no desert, no mountains. That is why it is worth helping protect life.
The regimes in Russia and Iran are brothers in hatred – and that is why they are brothers in weapons. And we want regimes built on hatred to never win – in anything. And we want no such regime to threaten Europe or our partners. Can we just live alongside regimes like this? Ukraine tried to live in peace with Russia and – 2 invasions in 10 years. This is the result. The Middle East has not had a single year of real peace while this regime has been in Iran. And we are entering a time when such regimes are gaining new ways to kill – cheaply, over long distances, using AI – and, as before, simply because they want to destroy you, and can force their own people to work for war.
One Iranian “shahed” costs about 50,000 dollars. To shoot it down, partners often use missiles – some costing up to 4 million dollars – or combat aircraft, which is also very expensive. Iranians knew that no air defense in the world would be enough to stop such drones, such a number of drones. And we were the ones who changed that. In Ukraine, we stop one such drone with two or three interceptors, small interceptors costing less than 10,000 dollars in total. So our approach is far more cost-effective than anything our partners use today.
Dear friends,
We must build security the way so that the evolution of security stays ahead of the evolution of war.
And it is not only about a state launching attacks, we must be ready for any kind of strike – including from non-state actors – criminal networks, terrorist groups, and even lone attackers who can gain access to such technologies. With the spread of drones, mass attacks no longer cost billions – they cost far less. It is no longer only a wealthy madman like Putin who can afford this. Unfortunately.
But even now, and even he is still being given money as sanctions on his oil are lifted. And of course, I thank you. Thank you that the UK is not doing this. Thank you so much. And we see this the same way: strong support for Ukraine, strong sanctions against Russia, and strong joint defense projects are the only basis for effective diplomacy to end this war. Aggressors don’t end wars because they suddenly want to – they stop when they can no longer continue. That’s why pressure is crucial. I thank you that Britain understands this. Thank you.
Right now, I have proof that the evolution of security can be fast – and cheaper than old defense systems. This is an iPad with software that lets us control our security in real time. It’s true. We have these iPads – I have one, my Prime Minister has one, our Minister of Defense, and our top military commanders – they have it. It lets us see the front line in Ukraine, and even every enemy killed – with video proof. Right now, 90% of Russian losses on the front are caused by our drones. That’s why it’s so important to know who has the advantage in drones – and to be fast and strong in defending against them.
The iPad also shows every strike in our skies, our sea area, and our long-range strikes against Russia. It gives us real-time control over people’s safety, and our infrastructure and energy sector.
And I believe the evolution of security will make it possible for every leader, every defense minister – and even ordinary people – to have tools like this, and with them, a high level of protection of life. Leaders and ministers work for people. And if the leaders have power, it is only because people trust them with their security.
With tools like this, people will not only trust – they will be able to see for themselves what is being done for their security. In real time.
We see every large-scale Russian attack on our cities in detail – launch points, flight paths, likely targets. The system lets us analyze each attack and how our defense responds as a whole.
In real time, we see what is happening in the sky and what resources are being used to protect us. It is a clear way to keep control – and to adapt to a real-time situation.
And there are almost no nights in Ukraine – and it’s true – no nights in Ukraine without Russian “shahed” attacks – sometimes hundreds of attack drones and dozens of missiles in a single night. But the interception rate is around 87–90 percent. And this number would be higher if we had enough investment in our defense production and enough missiles against ballistic threats. These are our two main shortages – funding and Patriot missiles. That’s why we are working to involve our partners in production and to help Europe build all the air defense it needs.
Here is a massive attack on the night of March 14. In total, there were, can you imagine, there were nearly 500 Russian air attack weapons – 430 drones and 68 missiles of different types. And we shot down most of them.
And in real time, on this iPad – in our system – we could see how our aircraft were working, where electronic warfare was used, and how interceptors were deployed. And of course, our mobile air defense teams are also working. And we see it all on the iPad – across the whole country and down to each individual strike – how the defense worked, what needs fixing, which solutions in which areas will bring the best results. We do this after every, every Russian attack. It means – each day.
It is this layered defense that ensures Russia cannot destroy us from the air. Every part of the system must be used. Our newest element is interceptor drones. When conditions and weather allow, we use hundreds of them every day. This works thanks to our production in Ukraine and with our partners – Sting, Merops, P1-Sun and others… and I am glad we have a joint project with the United Kingdom – the Octopus drones. This is a successful decision, successful interceptions depend on well-placed positions of our soldiers, set up to cover as many drone routes as possible. And it is constant hunting – at night, and now even during the day.
And you see how many Patriot systems and other air defense systems there are in the Middle East and the Gulf – but there is still not enough security. Why? Why not enough security? Because the Iranian regime’s weapons have evolved faster than defenses in these countries. This is a problem that must be solved – and can be solved. And as soon as possible. We all understand what comes next. AI is already in many devices we use every day. Soon, almost everything will run on it. And weapons will too – becoming even more deadly, because they will act faster than any human.
By building protection against today’s weapons – by investing in the evolution of security – we are also preparing for the weapons of tomorrow. Perhaps we are preventing a problem. And if the world had stopped Putin back in 2022, we would not be thinking today about how to defend against drone warfare. Without his war against Ukraine, the world might have avoided mass drone warfare – cheap and deadly – for many years…
And if, together with partners in the Middle East, we build a system like Ukraine’s, they will be able to track attacks from Iran or the Houthis in real time, analyze them, keep improving their defense – giving people, critical infrastructure, and trade routes real security.
Today, just a few “shaheds” can disrupt oil shipments at a scale that affects entire regions, or destroy desalination plants and hit millions of people in the most painful way. The cost of living is rising everywhere. And terrorists around the world are learning what they, too, can do. And we all know the solutions that can prevent this.
Some may think it is enough to just buy interceptors, and protection is guaranteed. But it is not that simple. The key is the system. The system matters. There have already been cases when partners bought interceptors but still had to ask for help, because they did not have a system to use them. And without a system, any interceptor is just a toy – not a real defender.
So what do we have?
First, we are capable of producing at least 2,000 effective and combat-proven interceptors every day. We can produce more – it depends on investment. We need about 1,000 interceptors a day, and we can supply at least another 1,000 a day to our allies.
Second, we know how to build radar and acoustic coverage to respond to how “shaheds” and other drones approach.
Third, we have software that allows radars to keep working even under electronic warfare jamming. In real time, we analyze enemy frequencies and respond to them.
And because of this system, we understand how effective our defense is against almost every attack drone, and we can move our positions and air defense to get better results. This iPad gives full control of the situation because we have a system for using our defense tools.
If a “shahed” needs to be stopped in the Emirates, we can do it. If it needs to be stopped in Europe or the United Kingdom, we can do it. It is a matter of technology, investment, and cooperation. And the fact that we got through this winter, which Russia tried to make deadly for all our families, shows that our solutions work. The key is to keep improving them, in line with the threats we face and those that are coming. The evolution of threats never stops.
For example, your military bases in Cyprus. This is what our security proposal could look like – our experts would place interception teams, and set up radars and acoustic coverage, and this would all work. If Iran launched a large-scale attack – similar to Russian attacks – we would guarantee protection. This is the kind of reinforcement we offer, and it may soon be needed across Europe.
And drones can be launched not only from land, but also from ships at sea. Such long-range strikes are no longer rare. Different countries already use them. And since European seas still have many tankers from Russia’s shadow fleet, launching drones from such vessels is no longer something unexpected.
Ukraine did not have a strong navy like Britain or some of our other partners. But we have pushed what is left of Russia’s fleet into distant bays in the Black Sea, where their ships hide from Ukrainian sea drones. This is a completely new security reality in our sea. The Russian fleet – which was powerful – has no effective way to counter our drones. Their defenses have been strong – we do not deny that – but our naval drone systems keep evolving, and we focused on the speed of that evolution. And we won – won our sea.
We started with simple kamikaze sea drones. Then we built drones with turrets that can shoot down helicopters. Now we have drones that can shoot down Russian fighter jets from the sea. We have developed boats that carry other drones. We also have boats that strike targets on land from the sea. And we are developing more stable drones that can operate longer and more effectively at sea. Soon – and not in the distant future – we will have systems that can operate even in ocean conditions. We are also actively working on underwater systems. So, facing threats in the Black Sea, we are finding the right security solutions. And these solutions can be used in your matters as well – including in complex situations like the Strait of Hormuz today. Drones can solve problems that even a fleet sometimes cannot.
And of course, we also have full information about what is happening on the ground. Real ground in Ukraine. At the front-line – completely. This iPad gives full control over movement along the front. All changes are tracked – and fully verified – over any period, not just partially. Ukraine collects, analyzes, and uses data on the full battlefield situation. We track every engagement and every change along the front.
And we have video proof for almost every figure of Russian losses we report. This winter alone, Russia lost more than 92,000 killed and seriously wounded – each confirmed by video. So these are people who will not return to the battlefield. This is the first example in the world of full digital tracking of war.
Russia may try to mislead satellites or adjust reports in the highest offices around the world. But if this iPad shows that Kupyansk – this is our big city in Kharkiv region – Kupyansk is under our control – then it is true. If it shows that in the past 30 days we have regained more territory than Russia has taken – then it is true. Clear numbers. Clear positions on the map.
And without this kind of digital tracking – and without a system to collect and analyze real battlefield data – it is impossible to fight a modern war effectively, defend your country, manage a wartime economy, or understand the cost of peace when this aggression is stopped, and real security is guaranteed.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Our belief that we can stop even a much stronger enemy and guarantee real independence and real security is not something abstract.
Ukrainians are practical people, very practical. Ukraine is the best place today to produce drones, to develop technology. It is also one of the best places to produce artillery and to test what really works – in weapons and in tactics. Ukrainians are creating new ways to protect their life – on the battlefield, in our cities, villages, in our infrastructure, at sea, in the sky. And we didn’t become this technological by chance. Our strength through more than 4 years of full-scale war is not by chance, either. This is the result of work. This is the result of a system. And we offer real defense cooperation – and we are already working together – not from zero.
On today’s battlefield – on land, in the air, at sea – success depends on speed and on smart, system-based solutions. And this is our answer to Russia. We do not say Russia cannot innovate – it can. But it does so to kill. To kill, to maim, to destroy – this is what it does best. As do the ayatollahs.
You can see it in how “shaheds” have evolved – from something like weapons of the blitz to drones that are faster, more deadly, and already using AI.
But we know how to stop this – because we have a system. The system of defense that works with what you and other partners use. We have strong coordination between the front and our defense industry. And we have something else – the skill and thinking of Ukrainian soldiers. Often, ideas from one unit, one brigade, when scaled up, solve problems that once seemed impossible. All of this works together.
And it helps us fight with fewer resources than Russia – but with more dignity. Dignity – this is the main thing that we have: the dignity of our people.
We must go further. We must build modern defense forces – together. Only together, with you, with our allies. In Europe, we must produce all levels of air defense – against drones and all types of missiles, including ballistic. Our seas must be secure, and our forces in other seas must be protected from all threats. Europe not only has this potential – it also has a mission: to protect not only itself, but what it believes in. We believe in people, in their rights and freedom. We believe in culture. And we want nations to live in real peace, strong peace, and communities in respect. Together, Europe is a global force – one the world cannot do without, and that no one can stand against. We must grow this strength – and we can do it. And we must direct it – and we can.
We must act now so that future generations will say: these leaders acted when it mattered. And that people lived in safety.
We are ready to do everything so that our defense stays ahead of those who want to kill. Please work with us as closely as possible – so that neither Kyiv, nor London, nor any of our capitals – will have to hide under drone nets or live under concrete – without a safe sky, safe land, or safe seas – in a world where drones rule instead of people.
You should have tools like this iPad – which means having the system of protection. The system we can build together.
Today I began my visit with an audience with His Majesty King Charles. And I gave him the iPad. Really, like this. As a sign of respect and gratitude. And to strengthen our cooperation with the United Kingdom, with your great country.
Thank you so much.
And His Majesty asked me if I had another one iPad. I said: “I only have my own left and I can’t give that up.” And His Majesty said he would share it with the Prime Minister.
Thank you so much.
