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Sir Keir Starmer has declared Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine a “monumental strategic failure”, as he travelled to Kyiv to sign a new long-term partnership deal with Volodymyr Zelensky days before Donald Trump is sworn in as president.
The prime minister, visiting Ukraine for the first time since entering No 10, was greeted at the capital’s railway station by the UK’s ambassador to Ukraine, Martin Harris, and Ukraine’s envoy to London, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
The 100 Year Partnership includes defence and scientific collaboration but will also forge new community links between the UK and Ukraine.
Sir Keir said the agreement, which will bolster military collaboration on maritime security and will bring together experts in areas including drone technology, showed Putin’s attempts to pull Ukraine away from the West had backfired.
The visit comes just days before Mr Trump enters the White House, potentially signalling a shift in US support for Ukraine’s war effort in favour of a push for a peace deal.
There have also been fears that the president-elect could pull out of Nato, after he said he would encourage Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to members of the alliance who do not pay their fair share.
Meanwhile, his pick for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said on Wednesday that both the Ukraine and Russia would have to make concessions to end the war.
He said it was important to be realistic that “there will have to be concessions made by the Russian Federation, but also by the Ukrainians”.
Sir Keir is expected to use the Ukraine trip to announce new UK support including further military aid and economic support.
Ahead of the visit, Mr Zelensky had suggested he would use the meeting to discuss the prospect of British troops being deployed to Ukraine as peacekeepers following any ceasefire deal with the Kremlin.
The prime minister said: “Putin’s ambition to wrench Ukraine away from its closest partners has been a monumental strategic failure.
“Instead, we are closer than ever and this partnership will take that friendship to the next level.
“This is not just about the here and now, it is also about an investment in our two countries for the next century, bringing together technology development, scientific advances and cultural exchanges and harnessing the phenomenal innovation shown by Ukraine in recent years for generations to come.
“The power of our long-term friendships cannot be underestimated. Supporting Ukraine to defend itself from Russia’s barbaric invasion and rebuild a prosperous, sovereign future is vital to this Government’s foundation of security and our plan for change.
“Through this partnership we are creating a strong economy that works for the British people, a safe country that protects our interests at home and abroad and a prosperous society.”
The UK has so far supported Ukraine with £12.8bn and has promised £3bn in military aid every year for as long as it needed.
Plans for the long-term partnership had begun under the Conservative administration and will will be laid in Parliament in the coming weeks.
Former of a treaty and a political declaration, it will involve co-operation in areas including healthcare and tackling disease, agricultural technology and the space industry.
Ties between the two countries will also be strengthened through both cultural exchanges and classroom projects.
Sir Keir is also expected to announce new “lethal aid” and £40m for an economic recovery programme intended to unlock hundreds of millions of pounds of private lending for Ukraine’s small and medium-sized firms.
Officials hope the scheme will open up business opportunities for UK companies, with the funding targeted at the green economy and marginalised groups including women and veterans.
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