Summary of the day
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.
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.
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.
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.
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”.
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).
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.
This blog is closing now. Thanks for following along. You can read all our Ukraine coverage here.
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A new partnership between schools in Ukraine and the UK to share books and stories is being backed by leading children’s writers including Michael Morpurgo, the author of War Horse and Private Peaceful, writes our education editor.
As part of Keir Starmer’s visit to Kyiv, the Department for Education announced the new partnership to foster cross-cultural links between school communities in both countries as well as sharing practices between education systems.
Morpurgo, a former children’s laureate who was knighted for services to literature in 2018, said:
I know of no greater gift we can pass on to our children, for with literature and stories comes knowledge and understanding of ourselves, of the past and present, of the lives of others, of the world about us. Books ask questions that open new horizons, new pathways. They bring us laughter and tears, companionship and hope.”
Fifty schools in the UK will be matched with 50 schools in Ukraine on a year-long reading project targeted at children aged 7 to 14, and delivered by the British Council in partnership with the UK’s National Literacy Trust. The schools will be chosen from across the four nations of the UK before the scheme launches in late spring this year.
Starmer said:
The resilience of the Ukrainian people is incredible. I’ve seen first-hand how learning and reading helps maintain a sense of normality for Ukraine’s children and young people, who have faced unimaginable adversity as they live, learn and play under bombardment.
From today, Ukrainians who have lost close relatives during Russia’s invasion will be able to lodge claims via a mechanism that has already received thousands of requests for compensation for damages.
The Register of Damages for Ukraine opened in The Hague in April last year and is designed to function as a record of all eligible claims seeking reparation for the damage, loss and injury following the launch of Russia’s attack in February 2022.
“Starting today, family members who lost a close relative due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine may seek compensation for their own mental pain and anguish by submitting a claim,” the Register said.
“This marks a significant step forward in addressing the immense personal suffering caused by Russia’s aggression, providing a pathway for families to seek justice and recognition for their profound loss,” it said in a statement, reported by Agence France-Presse.
Created by the Council of Europe and joined by the European Union, the Register will ultimately work out a financial total with a view toward extracting reparations from Moscow.
Last year it opened a category to claim for damages and destruction of property and which has now been expanded to include parents, spouses, civil partners and children of individuals who died as a result of the invasion.
So far, some 13,000 claims amounting to more than €800m have been received, in the initial category, the Register said.
Before their press conference, Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelenskyy laid flowers at a wall of remembrance for those killed in the war.
The wall outside St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, a Kyiv landmark, is covered in photos of the slain, stretching for a city block. It has become a place of pilgrimage for families paying tribute to their lost loved ones.
The Italian defence minister, Guido Crosetto, was also in Kyiv on Thursday, two days after Germany’s defence minister visited and three days after Zelenskyy talked by phone with Emmanuel Macron.
The French president has been leading calls for Nato allies to deploy troops to Ukraine to safeguard any peace deal. Asked about the proposals on Thursday, Zelenskyy said it was “a bit too early to talk about details”.
As Associated Press reports, the flurry of diplomatic activity comes in the run-up to Donald Trump’s inauguration next Monday, which is expected to bring a departure from the outgoing US administration’s pledge to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes to defeat Russia.
Trump has also indicated he wants Europe to shoulder more of the burden for helping Ukraine.
Air raid 'a reminder of resolve of Ukrainian people,' says Starmer
As reported earlier, sirens were heard over Kyiv before the press conference.
The air raid while he was visiting was “a reminder of the daily attacks and the resolve of the Ukrainian people in the face of it”, said Starmer.
In response to the apparent message the Russian attack had sent, Zelenskyy said: “We will say hello to them, too.”
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Details on the 100-year partnership pact with Ukraine just signed by British PM
The so-called 100-year partnership between the UK and Ukraine – just signed by Starmer - includes commitments to strengthening defence and scientific collaboration, promoting closer community links and bolstering military collaboration on maritime security, among many other things.
The document, published by Ukraine’s Presidential Office, includes 10 main points:
Strengthening defence capabilities
Supporting Ukraine’s Nato aspirations
Maritime security partnership
Trade cooperation
Energy cooperation
Justice and accountability cooperation
Jointly countering foreign information manipulation and interference
Science and technology cooperation
Harnessing socio-cultural ties
Migration cooperation
Downing Street said in a press release:
The treaty will bolster military collaboration on maritime security through a new framework to strengthen Baltic Sea, Black Sea, and Azov Sea security and deter ongoing Russian aggression
Will bring together experts to advance scientific and technology partnerships, in areas such as healthcare and disease, agri-tech, space and drones, and build lifelong friendships through classroom projects
New UK-built Grain Verification Scheme will also be launched to track stolen grain from occupied Ukrainian territories
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Keir Starmer said earlier on in the press conference that Britain will provide Ukraine with 150 artillery barrels “made by Sheffield forgemasters”.
“We have already committed £3bn for military aid this year and we’re going further to support the front line, providing a £2.2bn loan which will be paid back not by Ukraine, but from the interest on frozen Russian assets,” the British prime minister said.
“We’re also galvanising British industry, so today I’m pleased to announce that we’re providing 150 artillery barrels for Ukraine made by Sheffield forgemasters.”
Starmer said it is “the first time in over 20 years that these barrels were produced in the United Kingdom and they will start arriving in Ukraine in just a few weeks’ time”.
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Starmer says the US’s role is “vital” and pays tribute to the Biden administration for helping Ukrainian troops fend off Russian aggression over the course of the war.
He said Ukraine has achieved “incredible success” in the face of attacks from Moscow, saying this is down to Ukrainian “resolve” and [military] assistance from its allies.
The US has given Ukraine more than $65bn in aid since the war began, and has provided critical military equipment, including air defence systems and munitions, and anti-aircraft missiles.
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Starmer reiterates that it is vital that Ukraine is put in the strongest “possible position” in 2025 (ahead of possible peace talks). He said Britain will play a “leading part” when it comes to guaranteeing Ukraine’s security, without giving away any specifics.
Starmer insists that any 'lasting peace' must guarantee Ukrainian security and independence
Moving on to how the war may end, Starmer says any “lasting peace” must guarantee Ukrainian security, independence and Ukraine’s right to “choose its own future”.
“We will work with you and with all of our allies on steps that will be robust enough to guarantee Ukraine’s security, guarantee any possible peace and deter any future aggression. That conversation will continue in the months ahead,” the UK prime minister said in the press conference.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said that he thinks European security guarantees will be insufficient, as “real guarantees” are from Nato, which is dependent (along with European countries) on decisions taken by US.
US president-elect Donald Trump, who will be sworn back into office on Monday, has frequently repeated his promise to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a swift conclusion, without specifying how. Trump has repeatedly expressed scepticism about US military and financial support for Kyiv.
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Starmer said the 100-year partnership, which would formalise economic and military support already pledged to the country, is recognition of the “deep bonds” Britain and the Ukraine share, and is a commitment to deepen them further. Starmer says business, tech, innovation and culture are among the areas that will be strengthened, as well as military ties.
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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).
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Keir Starmer holds press conference with Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Keir Starmer has been holding a press conference with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He has signed a 100-year partnership agreement to deepen security ties and strengthen the relationship between the Ukraine and the UK. “Together we signed a landmark agreement, the very first of its kind, a new partnership between the UK and Ukraine that reflects the huge affection that exists between our two nations,” Starmer told reporters in Kyiv.
The British prime minister, who has been visiting Kyiv today, said the UK will be with Ukraine long after this “terrible war” is over and when the country is “free and thriving once again”.
He said Russian president Vladimir Putin shows no “stomach” for wanting peace, pointing to recent Russian attacks, including the ones launched on Thursday. He praises the “resolve” of Ukrainian people in the face of “relentless” Russian aggression.
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Ukraine says it hit Russian oil depot in Voronezh region used by military
Ukraine’s military said it hit a Russian oil depot in the Voronezh region of Russia overnight, with a fire being sparked after at least three drones hit a target. Voronezh is located approximately 465 kilometers (289 miles) south of Moscow. Ukraine’s general staff said on Telegram that the depot stored fuel used by the Russian military. “A large-scale fire broke out at the facility,” the Ukrainian general staff said in a statement. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Another oil refinery in Russia’s Voronezh region has just been attacked by Ukrainian drones. A massive fire has broken out at the site. pic.twitter.com/RIjkppHOf8
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) January 15, 2025
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The Kherson regional state military administration has said two people have been injured in Russian drone attacks on Kherson, and its suburbs, in southern Ukraine. The region – which has frequently been targeted by Moscow over the war - straddles the strategically significant Dnipro river. From their positions on the east bank, Russian soldiers have been shelling the city of Kherson and the surrounding villages, killing many civilians.
In a post on Facebook, the regional state administration wrote:
Russians continue to attack Kherson and its suburbs with UAVs. At approximately 09:40, a 62-year-old man suffered an explosive injury and a leg wound due to the dropping of explosives from a UAV in Kindiyka.
At around 10:30 am, a 68-year-old woman was injured in a drone attack in the Dniprovskyi district of Kherson. She was previously reported to have suffered an explosive injury. Both victims were hospitalised in moderate condition.
Poland has hailed a breakthrough in a painful historical dispute with Ukraine, after it said its neighbour had agreed to allow exhumations of Polish citizens massacred by Ukrainian nationalists in the second world war.
Warsaw is one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters in the EU, offering military and diplomatic support, but for years ties have been strained over a historical atrocity – the massacre of as many as 100,000 Poles by Ukrainian nationalists between 1943 and 1945.
After a meeting with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Warsaw on Wednesday, Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, said the two countries were finding “a common language and methods of joint action on the Volhynia massacre and “sensitive dramatic issues in our history”.
“They require empathy from Ukraine towards Poland and from Poland towards Ukraine,” Tusk told reporters.
The Polish government has said Ukraine has agreed to the exhumation of remains of the first victims to take place, to enable Polish families to bury their relatives with dignity.
The mutual understanding and action “deserves to be seen as a breakthrough” Tusk said.
You can read the full story here:
Kremlin rejects Polish claim it planned airline attacks
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said yesterday that Russia planned to conduct “acts of terrorism in the air”, by plotting a wave of fire bomb attacks that could have brought down planes mid-flight around the world (you can read more about this here).
Tusk seemed to be referring to parcels which exploded at logistics depots in Europe which Western security officials suggested were part of a test run for a Russian plot to trigger explosions on cargo flights to the US.
“The latest information can confirm the validity of fears that Russia was planning acts of terrorism in the air not only against Poland,” Tusk told a news conference in Warsaw after meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy, though he did not offer more detail or explanation. The Kremlin has dismissed Tusk’s allegation.
“These are absolutely unsubstantiated allegations against Russia,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about Tusk’s statement today. “Poland is well known for making such accusations.”
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City officials say there have been no casualties after the reported Russian drone attack on Kyiv, but say a car was damaged by falling debris in one of the districts.
As we have previously mentioned, Starmer is in Kyiv to sign a so-called “100-year partnership” treaty between Britain and Ukraine (see more details of what is in the agreement here). The UK, one of Ukraine’s biggest military supporters, has committed £12.8bn in military and civilian aid to Kyiv over the war and has trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops. Starmer is to announce another £40m for Ukraine’s postwar economic recovery.
Britain says its 100-year pledge – which covers a number of areas, including defence, energy and trade - will help ensure Ukraine is “never again vulnerable to the kind of brutality inflicted on it by Russia”. Starmer’s surprise visit comes as Ukrainian forces continue to suffer from manpower shortages and are losing ground in the eastern Donetsk region as Russia’s troops continue their slow advance there.
Zelenskyy says he and Starmer will discuss a plan proposed by Emmanuel Macron that would see troops from France and other western countries stationed in Ukraine to oversee a ceasefire agreement.
Zelenskyy has said any such proposal should go alongside a timeline for Ukraine to join Nato. Nato has said Ukraine won’t join the military alliance until after the war. Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, strongly opposes Ukraine becoming a member, fearing it would bring Nato forces too close to its borders.
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Gunfire erupts in Kyiv as Ukrainian forces attempt to shoot down drone over capital
Luke Harding is a Guardian foreign correspondent
Gunfire erupted in Kyiv as Keir Starmer held talks on Thursday with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during the prime minister’s first official trip to Ukraine.
The presidential palace - where the two leaders are due to hold a press conference - echoed with loud booms, as Ukrainian air defence tried to shot down a drone.
The drone - possibly a Russian decoy - could be seen and heard buzzing above the Marynskyi presidential palace, not far from Zelenskyy’s office. It was not immediately clear if the drone was downed.
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Ukraine's air force announces drone attack threat as sirens reportedly go off in Kyiv
There are reports of sirens going off in Kyiv where UK prime minister Keir Starmer is on an official visit. Air defences were engaged, the city mayor wrote in a post on Telegram. Ukraine’s air force announced a drone attack threat. We will give you more details on this as soon as we get more information.
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Russian attacks against Ukraine killed four people and injured at least 27 others over the past day, regional authorities said this morning. Russian attacks were reported in various areas in Ukraine, including on the town of Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region and in the Kherson region.
We must ensure Ukraine is in 'strongest possible position', Starmer says ahead of Trump re-entering office
Here are some comments Keir Starmer, the UK’s prime minister, gave to broadcasters after his visit to a hospital in Kyiv (he is in the capital to sign what Downing Street is calling a “landmark 100-year partnership” with Ukraine). Starmer said:
It’s very important we ensure that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position.
That’s something I’ve been arguing for since I was prime minister. This is my seventh meeting with President Zelenskyy.
I’m here at the burns unit of one of the Kyiv hospitals, which is a grim reminder of the heavy price Ukraine is paying.
So we must give the necessary support, and that’s what I’m discussing with President Zelenskyy today. We must never let up on that and we’ve been leading the way.
Italy’s defence minister, Guido Crosetto, has also arrived in Kyiv. The Italian defence ministry says Crosetto will be engaging in a “series of institutional meetings”. It is not clear who he will meet or when he will meet them.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Italy has approved 10 packages of military aid for Ukraine, including two Franco-Italian air defence systems known as SAMP/T. European officials appear to wanting to show solidarity with Ukraine before Donald Trump enters office next week as potential negotiations to end the war loom and the extent of future US involvement in Nato is called into question.
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Here are some of the latest pictures being sent to us over the newswires of Keir Starmer, the UK’s prime minister, visiting injured Ukrainians at a Kyiv hospital specialising in treating burns:
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As we mentioned in the opening post, Ukraine’s air force has said the country’s forces downed 34 out of 55 drones launched by Russia overnight. Local authorities are now saying that the falling drone debris damaged energy infrastructure in the central Ukrainian region of Poltava, reportedly leaving more than 300 users without power. The region borders Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Cherkasy and Kyiv oblasts.
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UK prime minister makes surprise visit to Kyiv to sign '100-year deal'
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, has arrived in Kyiv to sign a security and trade pact with Ukraine, in a public show of support for Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the much anticipated return of Donald Trump to the White House on Monday.
The two countries will sign a partnership deal to deepen the existing defence relationship, with further military assistance to Kyiv on offer amid concerns Trump could reduce aid to Kyiv at a time when Russia continues to make battlefield gains.
Starmer, who is today making his first visit to Ukraine since he became prime minister last July, was due to sign a 100-year partnership with Kyiv, which will be laid before the British parliament in the coming weeks.
Starmer’s office said the treaty, aimed at deterring ongoing Russian aggression, will bolster military collaboration by seeking to strengthen security in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Azov Sea.
Zelenskyy had earlier said that he and Starmer would discuss the possibility of having western troops stationed in Ukraine to oversee a ceasefire agreement, a divisive proposal initially put forward by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Trump has vowed to end the war within 24 hours of taking office, without specifying exactly how. It is expected that pressure for negotiations will mount when his administration takes over next week.
Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, told the Senate foreign relations committee that the new administration would seek “bold diplomacy” to end the war. “There will have to be concessions made by the Russian Federation, but also by the Ukrainians,” he said yesterday.
You can read more on Starmer’s visit to Kyiv and what it signals about Europe’s views on Trump’s policy on Ukraine here.
Here are some of the other latest developments:
The Ukrainian military said on Thursday that its forces had captured more than two dozen troops in the western Russian region of Kursk, where Russian troops have been trying to eject Ukrainian forces for the past five months. “Ukrainian paratroopers together with adjacent units captured 27 enemy servicemen in the Kursk region,” a military statement said, adding that the Russian troops had surrendered.
Ukraine downed 34 out of 55 drones launched by Russia across 11 of the country’s regions in an overnight attack, the Ukrainian air force said, with a further 18 failing to reach their targets.
Russia launched missiles and drones at Ukrainian energy facilities on Wednesday, one day after Kyiv said it had carried out its largest aerial attack of the war on Russian army factories and energy hubs hundreds of kilometres from the frontline. The mayor of the southern city of Kherson said there were power cuts as a result of the barrage. After the attack, Zelenskyy called on the west to use around US$250bn of unallocated frozen Russian assets to buy Kyiv weapons.
Europe must “take responsibility” for its own security, Poland has told its fellow EU member states, as Warsaw takes over the rotating presidency of the bloc at a time of increasing geopolitical uncertainty.
