British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives in Kiev to sign '100 Year Partnership' treaty

Starmer arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Thursday with a pledge to ensure the country's security for 100 years, days before Donald Trump is sworn in as US president.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to arrive in Kiev to sign the so-called 100-year partnership treaty with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The treaty, which pledges to guarantee Ukraine's security for 100 years, covers areas including defence, science, energy and trade.

Starmus' unannounced visit is his first to Ukraine since he took office in July. He visited the country as opposition leader in 2023 and has held two meetings with Zelenskyy at 10 Downing Street since becoming prime minister.

Starmer was welcomed at Kiev train station by Martin Harris, Britain's ambassador to Ukraine, and Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's envoy to London.

During their visit, Starmer and Zelenskyy placed flowers on a wall in remembrance of those who died in the war. The exterior walls of Kiev's landmark St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery are covered with photos of the slain spread across a city block. It has become a place of pilgrimage for families to honor their lost loved ones.

Starmer also visited a Kyiv hospital specializing in burn treatment.

Elsewhere in Kiev, cars and buildings were damaged by debris from a Russian drone shot down by Ukrainian air defenses, city chief Timur Tkashenko said, as Starmer later met with Zelenskyy at the presidential palace.

Britain is one of Ukraine's biggest military backers, having pledged £12.8 billion in military and civilian aid to the country since Russia's full-scale invasion three years ago.

It has also trained more than 50,000 Ukrainian troops on British soil. Starmer is expected to announce an additional 40 million (47.4 million) for Ukraine's post-war economic recovery.

On Thursday, Starmer announced that Britain would provide Ukraine with a new mobile air defense system designed by Britain and funded by Denmark. He also said Britain would continue to train Ukrainian troops.

But the UK's role is small compared to that of the US, and there is deep uncertainty about the fate of US support for Ukraine once Donald Trump takes office on January 20. The U.S. president-elect said he wants to end the war quickly and plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has long admired.

Kiev's allies poured as much aid as possible into Ukraine before Trump took office, seeking to put the country in the strongest possible position in future negotiations to end the war.

Zelenskyy said that in peace talks, Ukraine would need assurances that its future would be protected from Russia. Britain says the 100-year pledge is part of that guarantee and will help ensure Ukraine is never again vulnerable to atrocities perpetrated by Russia.

Take your friendships to the ‘next level’

The agreement commits both sides to cooperate on technological projects, including drones, which have become essential weapons for both sides in defense, particularly maritime security and warfare, against Russian activities in the Baltic, Black and Azov seas. The treaty also includes a system to help Russia track stolen Ukrainian grain exported from occupied territories.

Putin's ambition to alienate Ukraine from its closest partners was a monumental strategic failure. Instead, we are closer than ever and this partnership will allow us to take that friendship to the next level, Starmer said ahead of his visit.

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This is not just about the here and now, but about investing in both countries for the next century, combining technological development, scientific advancement, cultural exchange and leveraging the phenomenal innovation that Ukraine has demonstrated in recent years. Come, he added.

Zelensky said he and Starmer would also discuss a plan proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron that would have troops from France and other Western countries stationed in Ukraine to oversee a ceasefire agreement.

Zelenskyy said such proposals should be in line with Ukraine's timetable for NATO accession. The 32-member alliance said Ukraine would join the war at some point, but not until the war was over.

So far, Trump has seemed to agree with Putin's position that Ukraine should not join NATO.

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