British Defense Minister John Gilli announced the allocation of an additional half a billion pounds ($681.4 million) to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense.
According to an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, Gilley made the announcement ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
“This afternoon, I will confirm that the UK is providing Ukraine with an additional half a billion pounds for urgent air defense.
In this way, the UK is acting as a force for good in the world, building a new agreement on European security within NATO,” he said during a conversation with the media.
Gilley added that he is proud of the UK’s leadership and commitment to its allies.
“We will support you. We will defend you. We will fight alongside you in this new era of threats and brute force,” the minister said.
Gilley also confirmed that the UK will play a central role in NATO’s Arctic security mission, which aims to strengthen security in the region.
Later, the UK government website published a press release on a new aid package for Ukraine to strengthen its air defense. The new £500 million package includes £150 million for NATO’s PURL initiative and an additional 1,000 British-made missiles.
The Minister of Defense confirmed that the UK will provide £150 million for the first time to NATO’s Priority Urgent Requirements List (PURL) initiative, which ensures the rapid delivery of air defense interceptor missiles to protect Ukraine’s skies.
In addition, the UK intends to supply an additional 1,000 Belfast-made Light Multi-Mission Missiles (LMM).
This £390 million deal is based on deepening cooperation between British and Ukrainian industry on the transfer of production and support for Rapid Ranger launchers and command and control vehicles to Ukraine.
The government has announced that in the coming months, the UK will also supply an additional 1,200 air defense missiles and 200,000 artillery shells.
As reported, Defense Minister Gille is co-chairing the 33rd meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group today (February 12, 2026) at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Neil Crompton has been appointed as the new British ambassador to Ukraine.
“Mr. Crompton will take up his post in October 2025,” according to a statement on the British government’s website.
Crompton has been appointed ambassador to Ukraine to replace Martin Harris, Knight of the Order of the British Empire, who is moving to another position in the diplomatic service.
Neil Crompton is a British diplomat with many years of experience. From 2020 to 2025, he served as British ambassador to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. From 2015 to 2019, he was director of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). From 2014 to 2015, he headed the Department for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and from 2011 to 2014, the Department for South Asia and Afghanistan.
From 2007 to 2011, Crompton worked as an advisor on foreign and security policy in Washington. From 2005 to 2007, he coordinated Iran issues at the Foreign Office, and from 2003 to 2005, he headed the Iraq policy unit. He began his career at the Foreign Office in 1995.
Source: https://interfax.com.ua/news/diplomats/1114739.html
Ukraine and Poland have overtaken the Netherlands to become the largest suppliers of eggs to the UK in 2025, prompting criticism of imports of “cage” eggs, which have been banned in the UK since 2012. This was reported by The Guardian newspaper.
According to the UK’s Animal and Plant Health Agency, Ukraine has exported 8 million kg of eggs to the country since the beginning of the year, Poland has exported almost 7 million kg, and Spain has exported about 5 million kg.
Despite the overall decline in tonnage, the number of shipments has increased — instead of large batches, many small batches began to be exported from countries where cage farming is still common.
Mark Williams, chairman of the British Egg Industry Council, said that British producers are at a disadvantage because they have to invest in stricter standards for keeping birds. At the same time, imported eggs from Ukraine and Poland come from systems that are banned in the UK. He called this “morally wrong” and called on the government to take measures to protect the domestic market.
Egg imports are mostly destined for the catering and food industry segments, rather than supermarkets (where British Lion-labeled eggs dominate). It is estimated that the UK produces about 88% of its own eggs, importing the remaining 12%.
The British government has stated that it is involved in working on new regulations to level the playing field for domestic producers. At the same time, tariff exemptions for Ukraine were extended for many goods after the start of the war, but the “eggs and poultry” category received only a short-term deferral.
Source: https://open4business.com.ua/ukrayina-stala-najbilshym-postachalnykom-yayecz-do-velykoyi-brytaniyi/
A debate has erupted in the UK over the Bank of England’s plans to restrict the ownership of stablecoins — cryptocurrencies pegged to the dollar, euro, or other stable assets.
The regulator fears that if people transfer their money from banks to such digital assets en masse, it could hit the banking system. Therefore, a limit is being discussed: for ordinary citizens — no more than £10-20 thousand (approximately $13.6-27.2 thousand), for companies — up to £10 million.
If the decision is adopted, the UK will become one of the strictest countries in regulating stablecoins — stricter than the US and the EU.
Representatives of the crypto industry consider such steps harmful. According to them, the restrictions will reduce the country’s attractiveness to investors; it will be more difficult and expensive for people to use digital currencies; the control system itself will prove to be too complex and costly, as stablecoin issuers do not know who owns their tokens at any given moment.
“The introduction of limits will hit depositors, the City of London, and even the pound,” said Coinbase Vice President Tom Duff Gordon. “No other major country has introduced such measures.”
Supporters of stablecoins emphasize that they could make international transfers faster and cheaper.
The Bank of England responds that the restrictions will be temporary — to give the financial system time to adjust to the new digital money market. “A massive outflow of funds from banks could lead to a reduction in lending to businesses and the public,” explained regulator representative Sasha Mills.
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves has previously stated that the government will support the development of blockchain technologies, including the use of stablecoins.
The global market for these digital currencies is currently estimated at approximately $288 billion.
The UK is preparing to sign a “groundbreaking technology agreement” with the US during President Donald Trump’s state visit next week, Bloomberg reports, citing the UK government.
“Advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing will change our lives. This includes new ways of treating diseases, as well as improving public services,” said UK Technology Minister Liz Kendall.
According to the publication, Trump plans to arrive in the UK on Tuesday for his second state visit, which will last three days. He will be accompanied by a delegation of American business leaders, including executives from Nvidia Corp. and OpenAI.
“During the visit, American companies Nvidia, OpenAI, CoreWeave, and BlackRock will announce multi-billion dollar investments in British data center infrastructure,” the report said.
The US and the UK already cooperate in the fields of artificial intelligence, semiconductors, telecommunications, and quantum computing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to pay a visit to Veliobritain next week, The Guardian reports.
According to the publication, Zelensky will also make his first visit to Ireland on Saturday morning. He is scheduled to meet with Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris there.
Ireland, which has long maintained a policy of military neutrality but has provided non-lethal aid to Ukraine, is expected to offer more support. In particular, it will support Ukraine’s efforts to return some 20,000 children who were forcibly displaced to Russia and Belarus.
The Ukrainian president met with British Prime Minister-designate Keir Starmer at the NATO summit in Washington last week, but this will be his first opportunity to meet with a wider delegation from the Labor government, which will be keen to confirm further UK support.
The conference is reportedly the fourth meeting of the European Policy Community, a collective set up after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, which was the brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron.
“It is designed to foster stronger ties between EU and non-EU leaders in an informal setting. Previous conferences have been held in Spain, Moldova and the Czech Republic,” it said.
In addition to the UK, non-EU countries invited include Norway, Iceland, Georgia, Kosovo, Serbia, Albania and Turkey, although Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, who has not attended previous summits, has not confirmed his participation.
