UK defence secretary: NATO to ramp up response to Russia's aggression
NATO defence ministers are meeting in Brussels today, 15 October, to strengthen the Alliance's response to Russia's aggressive actions.
The UK and NATO are seeking to demonstrate the strength and unity of all allies in the face of the Russian threat, Healey said.
"The UK and NATO nations meet today to ramp up our response to Russia's aggression. Putin's incursions into NATO territory are reckless, dangerous and totally unacceptable," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said ahead of the meeting of the North Atlantic Council at defence ministers' level.
He noted that, whether Russia's actions are deliberate or not, "Putin is watching what we do".
"If NATO is threatened, we will act. And we must meet his [Putin's] escalation with our strength. So today we are stepping up together," the defence secretary emphasised.
Healey announced that the UK will continue to take part in NATO's Eastern Sentry mission: British fighter jets will continue to patrol over Poland until the end of the year.
"We are also ramping up our drone production for Ukraine, delivering over 100,000 drones this year and jointly building new, improved interceptor drones with Ukraine," Healey said.
European Pravda reported that the UK supplied over 85,000 drones to Ukraine during the first six months of 2025.
On 11 September, Ukraine and the UK signed an agreement to produce Ukrainian interceptor drones.
On 10 October, it was reported that the joint production project was at the negotiation stage and could be implemented in the coming months.