Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has been a “monumental strategic failure”, Sir Keir Starmer said as he travelled to the country to sign a new long-term partnership deal with Volodymyr Zelensky.
The 100 Year Partnership includes defence and scientific collaboration but will also forge new community links between the UK and Ukraine.
The agreement will bolster military collaboration on maritime security and will bring together experts in areas including drone technology.
The prime minister, visiting Ukraine for the first time since entering No 10, said the deal showed Mr Putin’s attempts to pull Ukraine away from the West had backfired.
Putin’s ambition to wrench Ukraine away from its closest partners has been a monumental strategic failure
The visit comes just days before Donald Trump enters the White House, potentially signalling a shift in US support for Ukraine’s war effort in favour of a push for a peace deal.
The US president-elect’s pick for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said on Wednesday that both the Ukraine and Russia would have to make concessions to end the war.
He said it was important to be “realistic” that “there will have to be concessions made by the Russian Federation, but also by the Ukrainians”.
Sir Keir is expected to use the Ukraine trip to announce new UK support including further military aid and economic support.
Ahead of the visit, Mr Zelensky had suggested he would use the meeting to discuss the prospect of British troops being deployed to Ukraine as peacekeepers following any ceasefire deal with the Kremlin.
He said: “Putin’s ambition to wrench Ukraine away from its closest partners has been a monumental strategic failure.
“Instead, we are closer than ever and this partnership will take that friendship to the next level.
“This is not just about the here and now, it is also about an investment in our two countries for the next century, bringing together technology development, scientific advances and cultural exchanges and harnessing the phenomenal innovation shown by Ukraine in recent years for generations to come.
“The power of our long-term friendships cannot be underestimated. Supporting Ukraine to defend itself from Russia’s barbaric invasion and rebuild a prosperous, sovereign future is vital to this Government’s foundation of security and our plan for change.
“Through this partnership we are creating a strong economy that works for the British people, a safe country that protects our interests at home and abroad and a prosperous society.”
Plans for the long-term partnership had begun under the Conservative administration.
The partnership, formed of a treaty and a political declaration, will be laid in Parliament in the coming weeks and spans nine key pillars.
It will involve co-operation in areas including healthcare and tackling disease, agricultural technology and the space industry.
Ties between the two countries will also be strengthened through cultural exchanges and classroom projects.
Sir Keir is expected to announce new “lethal aid” and £40m for an economic recovery programme intended to unlock hundreds of millions of pounds of private lending for Ukraine’s small and medium-sized firms.
Officials hope the scheme will open up business opportunities for UK companies, with the funding targeted at the green economy and marginalised groups including women and veterans.
The UK has so far supported Ukraine with £12.8bn and has promised £3bn in military aid every year for as long as it needed.
