What has the UK promised Ukraine in Starmer’s 100-year deal?

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has signed a 100-year concern agreement with Ukraine to supply enactment crossed assorted sectors, including healthcare and subject technology, portion pledging to supply information guarantees if an extremity to Russia’s warfare comes.

During Starmer’s archetypal sojourn to Kyiv since becoming premier minister, the British person told a quality league connected Thursday that the United Kingdom would analyse “the applicable ways to get a conscionable and lasting bid … that guarantees your security, your independency and your close to take your ain future”.

“We volition enactment with you and each of our allies connected steps that would beryllium robust capable to warrant Ukraine’s security,” Starmer said. “Those conversations volition proceed for galore months ahead.”

While Starmer was speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy astatine the statesmanlike palace, large blasts and aerial raid sirens were heard implicit Kyiv arsenic aerial defence systems took purpose astatine a Russian drone attack.

The British person said the Russian onslaught served arsenic a reminder of the concern connected the ground.

“It makes it existent for us,” helium said, adding, “It’s an mundane menace Ukraine is facing with unthinkable resoluteness and determination.”

Zelenskyy acknowledged the “hello” from Russia, and added that Ukraine would nonstop its ain “hello back”.

Since Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine successful February 2022, the UK has provided Kyiv with 12.8 cardinal pounds ($15.6bn) successful fiscal aid, including 7.8 cardinal pounds ($9.5bn) successful subject aid.

According to the German deliberation tank, the Kiel Institute, arsenic of December 2024, the UK was the third-highest assistance donor to Ukraine, aft Germany, which was the second-highest, and the United States, which is presently Ukraine’s biggest supporter.

Here’s each we cognize astir Starmer’s pledge:

What’s successful the 100-year deal?

According to Starmer’s office, the “historic partnership” betwixt Ukraine and the UK volition beryllium “formalised done the landmark caller 100 Year Partnership”.

The concern woody is expected to “bolster” subject collaboration done a “framework” to fortify Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Azov Sea information and “deter ongoing Russian aggression”. However, Starmer declined to beryllium drawn by questions from the media astir whether the UK would nonstop troops to Ukraine.

Starmer besides pledged 3 cardinal pounds ($3.6bn) a twelvemonth successful subject assistance “for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes” and announced 40 cardinal pounds ($48.7m) for an economical betterment programme to supply further enactment connected atom verification and trade, but it is unclear erstwhile the economical assistance volition beryllium paid to Ukraine.

“This is not conscionable astir the present and now, it is besides astir an concern successful our 2 countries for the adjacent century, bringing unneurotic exertion development, technological advances and taste exchanges, and harnessing the phenomenal innovation shown by Ukraine successful caller years for generations to come,” Starmer said connected Thursday.

The 100-year concern volition beryllium presented to the UK Parliament, which indispensable o.k. the agreement, successful the coming weeks .

Benjamin Martill, a elder lecturer successful authorities and planetary relations astatine Edinburgh University, Scotland, told Al Jazeera that the woody Starmer signed is “very significant” considering the timeframe involved.

“The United Kingdom has galore bilateral deals with tons of antithetic countries, but precise fewer things that are this longstanding. This is intelligibly designed to nonstop a truly beardown signal. I accidental it’s designed to nonstop a beardown awesome due to the fact that we’re successful rather a anemic position,” Martill said, adding that the imminent accomplishment of US President-elect Donald Trump to the White House and question marks implicit whether helium volition proceed the US’s enactment for Ukraine is simply a interest felt crossed Europe.

He added that the chances of the statement passing done Parliament are “very high” arsenic enactment for Ukraine was favoured by the erstwhile Conservative government, arsenic well.

It is simply a “continuation of a Conservative enactment policy. It’s doing what a batch of Conservatives wanted”, helium said.

Why is the predetermination of Donald Trump arsenic US president significant?

With conscionable days until Trump takes bureau successful Washington, DC, concerns are increasing astir whether enactment for Ukraine volition proceed arsenic Trump has promised to extremity the warfare successful “days”.

On Wednesday, Trump’s prime for caput of state, Marco Rubio, besides said the caller medication would question “bold diplomacy” to extremity the Russia-Ukraine war.

“There volition person to beryllium concessions made by the Russian Federation but besides by the Ukrainians,” helium told the Senate overseas relations committee.

Martill said Trump was the “elephant successful the room” erstwhile it comes to the UK’s concern woody due to the fact that of his erstwhile claims.

“He’s utterly unpredictable … each of this is happening present due to the fact that of Trump, and truthful I deliberation that, portion it’s hard to recognize what he’ll do, [it’s] going to beryllium a existent crippled changer,” helium said.

the UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy be a presumption of Ukrainian subject drones successful Kyiv, connected January 16, 2025 [Tetiana Dzhafrova/AFP]

What has Zelenskyy said astir the agreement?

In an evening code connected Thursday, the Ukrainian president praised the agreement, saying that “relations betwixt Ukraine and the UK are present person than ever.”

“The 1 hundred-year concern statement with the UK tin decidedly beryllium replicated with different countries, further processing our partnerships,” helium wrote connected Telegram.

He said being included successful the pact would assistance assorted spheres of society, including acquisition and technology.

He added determination was a “classified, concealed part” of the agreement, without elaborating.

Could British troops beryllium deployed to Ukraine?

In beforehand of Thursday’s quality league to denote the deal, Zelenskyy told reporters helium would sermon with Starmer the anticipation of bringing Western troops to Ukraine to oversee immoderate ceasefire agreement.

When Starmer was asked if helium would perpetrate to the thought of a peacekeeping force, the premier curate replied lone that it was “really important that Ukraine is enactment successful the strongest imaginable position”.

However, Starmer aboriginal told Sky News that it was an thought helium had been discussing with a “number of allies, including, of course, [French] President Macron”, who archetypal introduced the thought of a Western unit successful Ukraine past year.

“We person ever been 1 of the starring countries successful narration to the defence of Ukraine. And truthful you tin work into that. But we volition beryllium playing our afloat part. But I don’t privation to get up of ourselves due to the fact that this has to beryllium enduring,” helium said.

Will this statement spur Ukraine’s different allies to instrumentality akin action?

“I deliberation this volition person a galvanising effect and I deliberation this is astir apt what the UK is besides trying to do,” Martill said.

He said the UK was the archetypal to “take the charge”, to pledge Western-made conflict tanks to Kyiv, with unnamed British sources telling the BBC that the UK sent Ukraine 14 Challenger 2 tanks successful 2023.

“So portion of this is besides signalling, not conscionable to European partners, signalling to Kyiv, ‘we’re present for you’. Signalling to European partners – ‘we could bash with much of this’, and to travel the UK’s line, and signalling to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that ‘we’re successful this for the agelong game’,” helium added.