U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was in Kiev yesterday where he promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the Sun, the Moon and even the sky. Sunak and Zelenskyy were to sign “a historic” security cooperation agreement. “The totemic agreement is intended to be the first step in developing an unshakeable hundred-year partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom,” according to the statement issued by the prime minister’s office.
“The U.K.-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation formalizes a range of support the U.K. has been and will continue to provide for Ukraine’s security, including intelligence sharing, cyber security, medical and military training, and defense industrial cooperation,” it said. “It also commits the U.K. to consult with Ukraine in the event it is ever attacked by Russia again, and to provide ‘swift and sustained’ assistance for their defense.”
British military support to the regime is set to go to £2.5 million in 2024 and 2025, an increase of £200 million over the previous two years. “The funding will help to leverage the best of U.K. military expertise and defense production to ensure Ukraine’s victory on the battlefield, including in critical areas like long-range missiles, air defense, artillery ammunition and maritime security,” the statement said.
