UK's Starmer signs '100-year' accord with Ukraine as Russian drones target Kyiv
Britain and Ukraine's leaders on Thursday signed a "landmark" 100-year agreement that pledges strengthening defence ties between the two countries during a visit to Kyiv by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Loud blasts and air raid sirens rang out over Kyiv just hours after Starmer's arrival as air defence systems repelled a Russian drone attack, officials reported.
Keir Starmer’s unannounced visit is his first trip to Ukraine since he took office in July. It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holds a flurry of meetings with his country's allies before Trump's return next week.
"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 deal commits the two sides to cooperate on defence and battlefield technology, such as drones, while implementing a system to help locate grain exported by Russia from occupied parts of Ukraine.
"This is not just about the here and now, it is also about an investment in our two countries for the next century," added Starmer.
He was also expected to announce an extra £40 million to aid Ukraine's post-war economic recovery.
The United States remains by far Ukraine's biggest financial backer but that looks set to change when Trump arrives.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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