UK pledges €300m for Swedish jets despite Ukraine defence shake-up

Outgoing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged €300 million to deliver a squadron of 16 Swedish Gripen jets to Ukraine by 2029 during a final visit to Kyiv. The funding commitment, made on Starmer’s last full day as Labour leader, aims to bolster Ukraine's air-to-air combat, ground strike and reconnaissance capabilities. Starmer stated that the upcoming change in British leadership would not alter the UK’s financial and political resolve.

The prime minister framed the conflict as a fundamental shift in European defence planning. “I believe Ukraine will win this war,” Starmer told Sky News, adding that Ukraine had proven it is “probably the most effective fighting machine in Europe” by showing “how you fight a modern conflict.”

Defence overhaul threatens tech innovation

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defended his dismissal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, confirming a breakdown in relations between the ministry and the military's top brass, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi. Fedorov was widely regarded as the driving force behind Ukraine’s successful drone technology programme, making his removal a potential setback for the country’s military-industrial complex.

His dismissal to appease the traditional military establishment sparked public backlash, with more than 1,000 protesters gathering outside the presidential office in Kyiv. The personnel overhaul, which also included replacing the prime minister, comes as the invasion nears its fourth-and-a-half year.

Zelenskyy has relied on martial law to remain in office and avoid elections, but reshuffling key figures risks testing his political authority at a time when stable governance is crucial for sustaining Western economic and military aid.

Nuclear safety and civilian casualties

The civilian environment in Ukraine remains under severe strain from continuous attacks. Russian strikes on civilian areas in Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kharkiv, Kupiansk and the Donetsk region killed at least 11 people on Thursday, while a separate attack killed one person in Russia’s Belgorod region.

Regional security risks were further compounded by a drone strike near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that killed the facility's chief engineer, Aleksandr Yakovlev. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, condemned the incident as an unacceptable attack that seriously threatens nuclear safety. While Russia blamed Ukraine, Kyiv rejected the accusations as baseless, highlighting the persistent risks to critical infrastructure that overshadow the region's long-term economic recovery.