On 9-11 July, the UK-Ukraine UAV Partnership and Countermeasures Conference was held. The event was organised by ADS Group with the support of the Ministry of Strategic Industries and the British Embassy. 

The event brought together representatives of ten British and 46 Ukrainian defence companies. Over 300 B2B meetings took place over the three days, with the aim of strengthening existing partnerships between Ukrainian and British companies.

"The Ukrainian defence industry is gaining momentum in increasing its production, and I am very grateful to the British government and British business for helping us in this process. I am pleased to see the interest of British companies in cooperation with Ukrainian ones. We see this as a sign of faith in our producers and in our victory. I urge you to establish closer partnerships. We, as a ministry, will provide you with support and guidance at all stages," said Deputy Minister of Strategic Industries Serhiy Boyev.

“This is the first UK-Ukraine conference organised by business, not politicians. At the same time, as Ambassador, I can assure you that our Embassy is committed to supporting you in your relationship. Yes, there have been changes in the British government, but there are no changes in our approach for the support. We are looking for the ways where we can do more for Ukraine, including in the field of drones and UAVS. Ukraine is a world leader in innovation in this area. And we should take the opportunity of this conference to support its development,” said British Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Harris.

ADS is a UK trade association with nearly 1,400 members from the UK defence, security and aerospace industries. It works closely with the UK government. 

“I am very proud to be here in Ukraine, and for us it's an honour to support you. We have organised a trade mission, an industry delegation led by industry representatives. During the visit, representatives of British companies visited Ukrainian production facilities and it was a useful experience and a great lesson for us. We see how much effort you are putting into defending your country and we would like to reiterate our support. The purpose of this conference is to develop that support, to strengthen partnerships between defence companies and to share experiences and ideas for cooperation,” said the representative of ADS.