On Thursday, January 16th, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a surprise visit to Kyiv on the eve of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration in the United States. He signed a security and trade agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, promising a century of security guarantee for Ukraine. The agreement covers defense, science, energy, and trade among other areas in the bilateral “Century Partnership” treaty.
The treaty and political declaration will be reviewed by the British Parliament in the coming weeks, aimed at promoting military cooperation between the two countries to enhance security in the Baltic, Black, and Azov Seas, and deter Russian aggression.
Starmer’s visit was not announced in advance and marked his first official visit to Ukraine as the British Prime Minister. In 2023, he visited Kyiv as the leader of the opposition and held talks with President Zelenskyy twice in London after assuming office.
This visit comes as European leaders intensify regional security discussions in support of Kyiv’s broad efforts, just before President Trump takes office in the U.S.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy met with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw. Two days prior, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius visited Kyiv.
“Putin wants Ukraine to break away from its closest partners, which would be a huge strategic mistake,” Starmer said in a statement. “Instead, we are closer than ever, and this partnership will elevate our friendship.”
The UK is one of Ukraine’s largest military aid donors. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK has pledged £12.8 billion (US $16 billion) in military and civilian assistance, training over 50,000 Ukrainian soldiers on British soil.
Starmer will also announce a £40 million (US $49 million) aid package to assist Ukraine in post-war economic reconstruction.
Meanwhile, discussions are ongoing in the UK on deploying an international peacekeeping force to the war-torn country before potential peace negotiations.
During his visit, Starmer will also discuss the possibility of deploying Western peacekeeping forces with President Zelenskyy.
President-elect Donald Trump has publicly stated that Europe should lead the supervision of any future potential Russia-Ukraine ceasefire.
According to The Wall Street Journal reported on December 12th last year, Trump emphasized that Europe should take on greater responsibility in dealing with Russian aggression.