KYIV, Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday signed a landmark 100-year partnership agreement to strengthen bilateral relations between the two nations.
The agreement, aimed at bolstering defence cooperation, outlines continued military assistance to Ukraine and reaffirms Britain’s unwavering support in the face of ongoing tensions with Russia, Ukraine’s official media reported.
“Today is a truly historic day. Relations between Ukraine and the United Kingdom are closer than ever. We have reached a new level — this is more than a strategic partnership. We have signed a 100-year partnership agreement,” Zelensky stated.
The agreement aims to strengthen bilateral ties in the defence sphere and outlines continued military assistance to Ukraine, according to Ukrainian National News Agency, Ukrinform.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Ukraine on Thursday to offer Kyiv robust security guarantees if a ceasefire is negotiated with Russia.
During his first visit to Ukraine since becoming prime minister in July last year, Starmer emphasised Britain’s steadfast support for the nation, just days ahead of Donald Trump’s return to power in the United States.
Zelensky addressing media after the meeting said he had spoken to Starmer about Kyiv’s desire for Western peacekeeping troops to be deployed in Ukraine in the event of peace.
Starmer said Britain would look at “the practical ways to get a just and lasting peace … that guarantees your security, your independence and your right to choose your own future”, but declined to go into any details of which measures he supported.
“We will work with you and all of our allies on steps that would be robust enough to guarantee Ukraine’s security,” Starmer told a press conference alongside Zelensky. “Those conversations will continue for many months ahead.”
Starmer’s visit follows German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius’s trip to Ukraine just two days earlier, as European leaders consider what security guarantees they can offer as part of any potential peace deal that Trump may advocate.
Concerns have arisen over Trump’s return to the White House, with fears that efforts to end Moscow’s war could compel Ukraine to surrender significant portions of its territory to Russia for the foreseeable future.
Trump’s return to the White House has drawn concerns that a bid to end Moscow’s war could force Ukraine to cede large parts of the country to Russia.
