Keir Starmer plans to announce further aid of around €47 million. He will also sign an agreement on a 100-year partnership with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Ukraine on Thursday to express continued support for the country shortly before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump. TASR informs according to the AP agency.
Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will sign an agreement in Kyiv on a “100-year partnership”, which should include cooperation in several areas, including defense, science, energy and trade, the British Prime Minister’s office specified.
Starmer’s unannounced 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.
Fears of Trump’s return
The UK is one of Ukraine’s biggest military backers. Since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, it has allocated more than €15 billion in military and civilian aid to Kyiv and trained over 50,000 Ukrainian soldiers on British soil. According to AP, Starmer should announce additional aid worth about 47 million euros for the post-war economic recovery of Ukraine.
However, Britain’s role is negligible compared to the American one, and after Trump’s inauguration on January 20, there is deep uncertainty about the fate of US support for Ukraine. The president-elect has criticized the cost of US aid to Kiev, says he wants to end the war quickly, and plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has long admired, AP writes.
The planned agreement between Britain and Ukraine commits the two sides to cooperation on defense – particularly maritime security against Russian activities in the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov – and on technology projects, including drones, which have become vital weapons in the war. The pact also includes a system to help track stolen Ukrainian grain exported by Russia from occupied parts of the country.
