UK and US hold urgent talks over Russia’s use of Iranian kamikaze drones

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Since the summit, Ukraine has said Russian drone attacks have almost destroyed a third of its power stations, which came in response to a string of setbacks for the Kremlin on the front line in Crimea.

A defense source said the Defense Secretary and his US counterpart’s meeting was held to discuss “shared security concerns, including Ukraine”.

It was speculated by another source close to discussions that the meeting had been held in person because of concerns about the security of communications between the Pentagon and Ministry of Defense.

But the source also conceded a physical visit would emphasize friendly relations between Britain and America to foreign observers.

“It’s a good reminder that ultimately the US’s closest security partner is the UK,” they said. “The close cooperation we see on Ukraine is why this relationship is so strong.”

Liz Truss has also spoken to Emmanuel Macron, the French President, about what a Downing Street spokesman described as the leaders’ “deep concern at Russia’s recent barbaric attacks on civilian areas in Ukraine.”

‘West no longer controls the skies in combat’

It comes as Major General James Martin, the Commander of Britain’s Warfighting Division, warning that the proliferation of drones means the West no longer controls the skies in combat.

Major General Martin spoke to The Telegraph in Senennelager, Germany, ahead of Exercise Cerberus, the field Army’s biggest wargaming exercise to take place in Europe in over a decade.

“We don’t assume we have control of air space anymore,” he said.

“We don’t assume we have air superiority or supremacy as we have done in the Middle East. We now assume that we will have limited windows of opportunities to do what we want to do. That’s the difference between fighting a peer adversary vs fighting a counter insurgency.”

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