FILE PHOTO: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (not pictured) at Downing Street in London, Britain, January 15, 2025. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Ukraine on Thursday to sign a security and trade pact with Kyiv, in a public show of support for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy before Donald Trump returns to power in the United States.
Starmer's visit comes two days after German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius travelled to the country to send a clear signal of European support for Ukraine ahead of the inauguration of Trump, who has pushed for swift talks to end the war with Russia.
The British leader, who was making his first visit to Ukraine since he became prime minister last July, was due to sign a 100-year partnership with Kyiv to deepen security and cultural ties.
The treaty and political declaration, which will be laid before the British parliament in the coming weeks, will bolster military collaboration by seeking to strengthen security in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Azov Sea and deter ongoing Russian aggression.
The treaty will also cover areas such as energy, critical minerals and green steel production, among other things, Starmer's office said in a statement.
"Putin's ambition to wrench Ukraine away from its closest partners has been a monumental strategic failure," Starmer said in a statement. "Instead, we are closer than ever, and this partnership will take that friendship to the next level."
Starmer will also announce 40 million pounds ($49 million)for Ukraine's economic recovery. That builds on the 12.8 billion pounds package of support that Britain, one of the most vocal backers of Ukraine, has given to Kyiv since the invasion.
($1 = 0.8195 pounds)
(Reporting by Kate Holton in London and Kritika Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Sarah Young)
