the Guardian UK prime minister meets Ukrainian president as they sign 100-year partnership agreement to deepen security ties between nations
UK to deliver new mobile air defence system to Ukraine, Starmer says
In 2025, the UK will give more support to Ukraine than ever before, Keir Starmer says, adding that Britain will be delivering a new mobile air defence system to Ukraine, which will be designed by Britain and funded by Denmark. The defence system would be “developed to meet Ukraine’s needs, the British prime minister said. He also said the UK will continue to train Ukrainian troops (over 50,000 have already been trained on British soil since the start of the war three years ago).
Summary of the day
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The UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, signed a 100-year partnership agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an unannounced visit to Kyiv today.
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The agreement would formalise economic and military support already pledged to the country with further military assistance to Ukraine on offer amid concerns Donald Trump could reduce aid to Kyiv when he returns to the White House on Monday.
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The partnership – which will take shape through a treaty and a political declaration – will be laid in the British parliament in the coming weeks, and will involve co-operation in areas such as healthcare, agricultural technology and the space industry.
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Starmer said that, in 2025, the UK will give more support to Ukraine “than ever before” and said that Britain will be delivering a new mobile air defence system to Ukraine.
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Starmer said any “lasting peace” must guarantee Ukrainian security, independence and Ukraine’s right to “choose its own future” ahead of possible peace talks later this year or beyond. He said Ukraine has to be in the “strongest possible position”.
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Loud blasts and air raid sirens rang out over Kyiv after Starmer’s arrival as air defence systems in central Kyiv repelled a Russian drone attack. The air raid was “a reminder of the daily attacks and the resolve of the Ukrainian people in the face of it,” Starmer said (you can read more on the attack and Starmer’s diplomatic visit in this story).
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Ukraine confirmed that its forces had struck an oil depot in western Russia where officials earlier said Kyiv’s drones had caused a fire in the Voronezh region. “A large-scale fire broke out at the facility,” the Ukrainian general staff said in a statement that claimed three drones had struck the storage facilities they said were used by the Russian army…
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