British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed 100-year partnership agreement With Ukraine to provide support in various sectors, including healthcare and military technology, while pledging to provide security guarantees if the Russian war ends.

During Starmer’s first visit to Kiev since becoming prime minister, the British leader said at a press conference on Thursday that the UK would consider “practical ways to achieve a just and lasting peace…that guarantees your security, your independence and your right to choose.” Your own future.

“We will work with you and all our allies to take strong enough steps to ensure Ukraine’s security,” Starmer said. “These conversations will continue for many months to come.”

As Starmer spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the presidential palace, loud explosions and air raid sirens could be heard over Kiev as air defense systems targeted a Russian drone attack.

The British leader said the Russian attack was a reminder of the situation on the ground.

“It makes it real for us,” he said, adding, “It’s a daily threat that Ukraine faces with incredible resolve and determination.”

Zelensky acknowledged the “greetings” from Russia, and added that Ukraine would send its own “greetings.”

Since Russia’s war on Ukraine in February 2022, the UK has provided Kiev with £12.8 billion ($15.6 billion) in financial aid, including £7.8 billion ($9.5 billion) in military aid.

According to the German think tank, the Kiel Institute, as of December 2024, the United Kingdom was the third largest aid donor to Ukraine, after Germany, which was the second largest donor country, and the United States, which is currently Ukraine’s largest backer.

Here’s everything we know about Starmer’s pledge:

What’s in the 100-year deal?

According to Starmer’s office, the “historic partnership” between Ukraine and the UK will be “formalized through a new historic 100-year partnership.”

The partnership agreement is expected to “strengthen” military cooperation through a “framework” to enhance the security of the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Sea of ​​Azov and “deter continued Russian aggression.” However, Starmer refused to be drawn into media questions about whether the UK would send troops to Ukraine.

Starmer also pledged £3 billion ($3.6 billion) a year in military aid “for as long as it takes” and announced a £40 million ($48.7 million) economic recovery program to provide additional support for grain verification and trade, but he is still waiting. It is unclear when economic aid will be paid to Ukraine.

“It is not just about now, it is also about investing in our two countries for the next century, combining technology development, scientific progress and cultural exchanges, and harnessing the enormous innovation that Ukraine has shown in recent years for many generations,” Starmer said on Thursday.

The 100-year partnership will be submitted to the UK Parliament, which must approve the agreement, in the coming weeks.

Benjamin Martell, a senior lecturer in politics and international relations at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, told Al Jazeera that the deal Starmer signed is “extremely important” given the timeframe involved.

He added: “The UK has a lot of bilateral agreements with a lot of different countries, but very few long-term agreements. This is clearly designed to send a really strong signal. “I think it is designed to send a strong signal because we are in a very vulnerable position,” Martell said. , adding that the imminent arrival of US President-elect Donald Trump to the White House and question marks over whether he will continue to support the United States regarding Ukraine, this has become a source of concern throughout Europe.

He added that the chances of the deal passing through Parliament were “very high” as support for Ukraine was favored by the previous Conservative government as well.

It is “a continuation of Conservative Party policy.” “It does what a lot of conservatives wanted,” he said.

What is the importance of electing Donald Trump as President of the United States?

With just days until Trump takes office in Washington, D.C., concerns are growing about whether support for Ukraine will continue as Trump promised to end the war in “days.”

Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for secretary of state, said on Wednesday that the new administration would seek “bold diplomacy” to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

“There must be concessions on the part of the Russian Federation, as well as on the part of the Ukrainians,” he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Martell said Trump was the “elephant in the room” when it came to the partnership deal with the UK due to his previous claims.

“It’s completely unpredictable… This is all happening now because of Trump, and so I think that even though it’s hard to understand what he’s going to do, [it’s] “It will be a real game-changer,” he said.

What did Zelensky say about the agreement?

In a speech on Thursday evening, the Ukrainian president praised the agreement, saying that “relations between Ukraine and the United Kingdom are now closer than ever before.”

“The 100-year Association Agreement with the UK can certainly be replicated with other countries, further developing our partnerships,” he wrote on Telegram.

He said its inclusion in the charter would help various areas of society, including education and technology.

He added that there is a “secret part” of the agreement, without going into details.

Could British forces be deployed in Ukraine?

Before Thursday’s press conference to announce the agreement, Zelensky told reporters that he would discuss with Starmer the possibility of bringing Western forces to Ukraine to supervise any ceasefire agreement.

When Starmer was asked whether he would commit to the idea of ​​a peacekeeping force, the Prime Minister only replied that it was “really important that Ukraine is put in the strongest possible position”.

However, Starmer later told Sky News that this was an idea he had been discussing with “a number of allies, including, of course, the United States.” [French] President Macron,” who first floated the idea of ​​a Western force in Ukraine last year.

We have always been one of the leading countries when it comes to the defense of Ukraine. And so you can read into that. But we will play our full role. “But I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves because this has to be permanent,” he said.

Will this agreement motivate Ukraine’s other allies to take similar actions?

“I think that will have a catalytic effect and I think that’s probably what the UK is trying to do as well,” Martell said.

He said the UK was the first to “take charge” and pledge Western-made battle tanks to Kiev, with unnamed British sources telling the BBC that the UK had sent Ukraine 14 Challenger 2 tanks in 2023.

“So part of this is also sending a signal, not just to European partners, but sending a signal to Kiev, ‘We are here for you.’” Pointing to European partners – “We can do more of this,” and following the UK’s line, pointing to [Russian President Vladimir] “We are in this long-term game,” Putin added.