UK pledges support for Ukraine with 'landmark' 100-year deal

Zelensky praised the UK's commitment on Thursday, amid wider concerns that the US President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to take office on Monday, could potentially reduce aid.

Zelensky is looking to firm up security guarantees from key allies as there are worries the US - which is Ukraine's biggest financial backer - could start pushing Ukraine to make peace with Russia.

Sir Keir said the apparent air raid that greeted him in Kyiv was a "reminder of the daily attacks and the resolve of the Ukrainian people".

"We are with you not just today, for this year or the next - but for 100 years - long after this terrible war is over and Ukraine is free and thriving once again," he told Zelensky in Kyiv.

He also said that the UK would work with all its allies to ensure that any deal ending the war would be strong enough to "guarantee Ukraine's security" and "deter any future aggression."

Zelensky has previously asked for the UK, as well as other European allies like France, to send troops to Ukraine for a peacekeeping operation after the war.

Starmer has not said whether the UK would deploy troops - saying only in response to a journalist's question: "It's really important that Ukraine is put in the strongest possible position."

BubsyFanboy on January 16th, 2025 at 19:11 UTC »

Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to put Ukraine in the "strongest possible position" in a trip to Kyiv where he signed a "landmark" 100-year pact with the war-stricken country.

The prime minister's visit on Thursday was at one point marked by loud explosions and air raid sirens as Ukraine's defence systems intercepted a Russian drone attack.

Acknowledging the "hello" from Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would send its own "hello back".

The Ukrainian president praised the UK's commitment against the backdrop of wider concerns that US President-elect Donald Trump could reduce aid.

Zelensky is looking to firm up security guarantees from key allies as there are worries the new US administration could start pushing Ukraine to make peace with Russia.

On Thursday, the UK prime minister vowed to commit more support to Ukraine in its ongoing war effort against Russia - which it has been fighting since February 2022.

"We are with you not just today, for this year or the next - but for 100 years - long after this terrible war is over and Ukraine is free and thriving once again," he told Zelensky.

Sir Keir said the air raid that greeted him in Kyiv was a reminder of daily attacks and "the resolve of the Ukrainian people in the face of it".

Thursday's pact formalises economic and military support the UK had already promised to Ukraine.

As well as military support, including the delivery of a new mobile air defence system to be designed in the UK and funded by Denmark, the agreement includes economic aid, support for healthcare, and increased military collaboration on maritime security and drone technology.

The UK will also continue to train Ukrainian troops. More than 50,000 have been trained on British soil during the conflict so far.

In Kyiv, the two leaders walked behind an honour guard which carried wreaths in the national colours of the UK and Ukraine.

After soldiers set down the wreaths, Sir Keir and President Zelensky placed their bouquets at the foot of the wall outside St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery.

The Kyiv landmark is covered in photos of the dead and has become a place of pilgrimage for grieving families to pay tribute.

When the leaders met for talks inside Kyiv's Mariinsky palace, multiple explosions and air raid sirens were heard.

dirkdutchman on January 16th, 2025 at 18:50 UTC »

“We are with you not just today, for this year or the next - but for 100 years - long after this terrible war is over and Ukraine is free and thriving once again,”

Nothing of a deal that lasts 100 years, its just a nice symbolic statement of symbolism to clarify that UK support for ukraine will remain.

Which is good, ukraine needs to stay a top priority, we are already 800k+ dead russians far

TheoryStock431 on January 16th, 2025 at 17:42 UTC »

Do we even have a 100 year plan?

… let alone a plan.