March 17 (UPI) — Speaking to the British Parliament on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the rise of artificial intelligence and inexpensive drone technology has made “mass drone warfare” quicker and more common across the globe.
“The evolution of threats never stops,” he said in a speech touting Ukraine‘s advances in technology allow the country to defend against and monitor attacks by Russia.
During his visit to Britain, Zelensky also met with King Charles III and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with whom he agreed to a partnership to boost global defensive capabilities across Europe to protect against a rise in low-cost, high-tech military technology. The agreement capitalizes on Ukraine’s technological expertise and Britain’s industrial ability to manufacture and supply resources, the British government said.
Britain plans to invest $667,000 in an AI center in Kyiv.
Zelensky told Parliament that Ukraine faces nearly nightly attacks from Russia and uses nearly 1,000 interceptor drones each day to protect the country. He said Ukraine can produce interceptors on that scale, but the country needs a system in place to stop the attacks by Russia and Iran, which is using weaponry made from Russian supplies.
Zelensky pointed to the military bases in Cyprus as an example, The Guardian reported.
“This is what our security proposal could look like. Our experts would place interception teams and set up radars and acoustic coverage, and these would all work if Iran launched a large-scale attack similar to Russian attacks,” he told Parliament.
“We would guarantee protection. This is the kind of reinforcement we offer, and it may soon be needed across Europe.”
During their meeting at No. 10 Downing Street, Starmer told Zelensky that “the focus must remain on Ukraine” despite new conflict in Iran, the BBC reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “can’t be the one who benefits from a conflict in Iran, whether that’s oil prices or the dropping of sanctions.” He was referring to the United States’ recent easing of sanctions on Russian oil to combat rising gas and diesel prices.
Zelensky offered his thanks to Starmer for the support from Britain.
“You have stood with us all through this difficult winter,” Zelensky said.
