UK, Ukraine leaders sign 100-year agreement

UK, Ukraine leaders sign 100-year agreement
UK, Ukraine leaders sign 100-year agreement

Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to work with Ukraine and allies to offer Kyiv robust security guarantees if a ceasefire is negotiated with Russia, offering more support to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy with a 100-year partnership deal.

In his first trip to Ukraine since becoming prime minister in July last year, Starmer was keen to underline Britain's support for the nation just days before Donald Trump returned to power in the United States.

In talks punctuated by the sound of a loud explosion from Ukraine's air defences shooting down a Russian drone above the presidential palace, Zelenskiy said he had spoken to Starmer about Kiyv'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 Zelenskiy.

Zelenskiy said he had also spoken to France, Poland and the Baltics about a possible peacekeeping deployment to deter Russia from mounting any future attack after a ceasefire and expressed frustration at nations' opposition to Ukraine's bid to become a member of the U.S.-led military NATO alliance.

The treaty and political declaration aims to boost military cooperation to strengthen security in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Sea of Azov and deter Russian aggression.

Britain has provided $16 billion in support to Ukraine since in 2022, a sum dwarfed by Washington's $63.5 billion in security assistance, underscoring the importance of Trump's actions over Ukraine.