Starmer visits Kyiv: Ukraine and UK to sign partnership agreement

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has arrived in Ukraine on an official visit. He will meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, and an agreement on expanding military assistance to Ukraine will be signed.

The Guardian reported this.

The British Prime Minister is expected to discuss with Zelensky what security guarantees the UK can offer Kyiv, including the possibility of British troops participating in a post-war peacekeeping force.

"Putin's ambitions to tear Ukraine away from its closest partners have suffered a huge strategic defeat. Instead, we have become closer than ever, and this partnership will take our friendship to a new level," Starmer said the day before.

Following the visit, Ukraine and the UK will sign a partnership agreement to deepen existing defense relations and propose further military assistance to Kyiv. The agreements are being made amid concerns that with Donald Trump's arrival, the US may begin to reduce support for Ukraine.

The funding will be directed to:

• enterprises that support the "green" economy,
• as well as marginalized groups of the population, including women and veterans.

The British Prime Minister's unannounced visit to Ukraine is his first since taking office in July 2024. However, during this time, he has already held talks with Zelensky twice.

Starmer previously visited Ukraine in 2023 when he was the opposition leader.

The publication notes that Starmer intends to announce the allocation of 40 million pounds sterling to Ukraine to restore the economy, which will create opportunities for British companies.

This is an extension of the £12.8 billion in support the UK has already provided to Ukraine, including £7.8 billion in military aid and ongoing support for Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

However, the timing of the announced assistance is not yet known.

It should be noted that the UK government recently announced an emergency support package of £35 million to help Ukraine restore its power grid and overcome winter humanitarian challenges.

On December 19, the UK also announced that it would provide Kyiv with a new $286 million military aid package for Ukraine.

Moreover, on January 9, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would visit Kyiv. He noted that the meeting would discuss sending a peacekeeping contingent to Ukraine.

Zelensky also said that the idea of ​​deploying peacekeepers was discussed with partners in the Baltic states and will also be discussed with Starmer.

According to media reports, Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are already discussing sending their military to participate in a peacekeeping contingent in Ukraine.

For reference:

Earlier, French leader Emmanuel Macron announced the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine's territory, sparking a discussion among Ukraine's allies.

Later, France explained that it was not about directly sending troops to participate in hostilities. Some NATO countries, including Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Canada, have said that they are ready to consider such an option.

Despite this, several other NATO member states have already stated that they are not considering sending their troops to Ukraine. The USA, Germany, Great Britain, Canada, Spain, the Czech Republic, Poland, etc stated this.