Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed an agreement on a century-old partnership on Thursday. It concerns cooperation between the two countries in several sectors, including defense, energy and trade. TASR informs about it according to the reports of the AFP agency and The Kyiv Independent newspaper.
“We have jointly signed a groundbreaking agreement – the first of its kind – regarding the new partnership between the UK and Ukraine, which reflects the great affection between the two countries,” Starmer told reporters in Kyiv.
“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s plan to separate Ukraine from its closest partners has failed monumentally and strategically,” added the British Prime Minister. According to him, the joint agreement with Kyiv will deepen the relationship between the countries.
The agreement commits the two sides to cooperation in the field of defense – especially maritime security against Russian activities in the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov – and in the field of technological projects, including drones, which have become vital weapons of war for Ukraine. The pact also includes a system to help track stolen Ukrainian grain exported by Russia from the occupied parts of the country.
Other areas the agreement focuses on are science and technology, socio-cultural ties, migration, the fight against misinformation from abroad and cooperation in the sphere of justice, writes The Kyiv Independent.
Starmer’s visit is his first trip to Ukraine since taking office in July last year. He also visited the country in 2023, when he was the leader of the opposition. Since he became prime minister, he has held talks with Zelensky twice in London.
According to the AP agency, Starmer should announce additional aid worth about 47 million euros for the post-war economic recovery of Ukraine.
