UK’s Starmer to Ink ‘100 year’ Accord During Ukraine Visit

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Kyiv on Thursday on an unannounced visit to shore up support for Ukraine after nearly three years of war, officials said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been holding a flurry of meetings with his country’s allies ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House next week.

Starmer is expected to sign a “landmark 100-year partnership to deepen security ties” between the UK and Ukraine and meet with Zelensky, Downing Street said in a statement.

“Putin’s ambition to wrench Ukraine away from its closest partners has been a monumental strategic failure,” Starmer said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

“Instead, we are closer than ever, and this partnership will take that friendship to the next level,” he added, referring to the accord.

Zelensky 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.

The visit comes at a precarious moment for Ukraine on the battlefield.

Fighting has escalated ahead of Trump’s inauguration on Monday, as both sides seek to gain the upper hand in anticipation of potential negotiations aimed at settling the war, launched by Russia in February 2022.

At several key points in the northern Kharkiv and eastern Donetsk regions, Russian forces have been able to steadily advance by exploiting their advantages in manpower and resources.

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