KYIV, Ukraine, Jan 17, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
signed a "landmark" 100-year partnership agreement with Ukraine on Thursday
during an unannounced visit to the war-torn country, seeking to shore up
support for Kyiv before Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Loud blasts and air raid sirens rang out over the Ukrainian capital after
Starmer's arrival as air defence systems in central Kyiv repelled a Russian
drone attack, officials and AFP journalists reported.

In Starmer's first official visit to Kyiv since taking office last July, he
pledged steadfast support in the face of the Russian invasion, and said any
deal to end the fighting must "guarantee" Ukraine's security and
independence.

And he later said that the UK would also discuss with allies deploying
peacekeeping troops to Ukraine to help guarantee security following any
ceasefire with Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the 100-year accord, saying he
hoped for similar agreements with other allies.

"Relations between Ukraine and the UK are now closer than ever," he said in
his evening address.

The visit is the latest meeting that Zelensky is holding in a flurry of talks
with allies before Trump's return next week.

The incoming Republican has stoked fears that he will cut Washington's vital
military aid or force Ukraine to accept a ceasefire on terms that reward
Russia for its February 2022 invasion.

Starmer said he would "work with all of our allies" to ensure any settlement
was "robust enough to guarantee Ukraine's security, guarantee any possible
peace and deter any future aggression".

Under the agreement, London and Kyiv pledged to "deepen defence cooperation"
and boost Ukraine's defence industry, recognising it as a "future NATO ally".

Speaking in Kyiv, Starmer hailed it as 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".

- 'Strongest possible position' -

Starmer kicked off the visit by laying wreaths with Zelensky to commemorate
killed Ukrainian soldiers, and visiting a burns hospital treating wounded
servicemen.

Ahead of their meeting, Zelensky said he and Starmer would discuss the
possibility of having Western troops stationed in Ukraine to oversee any
ceasefire agreement, a divisive proposal initially put forward by French
President Emmanuel Macron.

Starmer did not commit to such a deployment, but later on Thursday he told
Sky News that he would discuss the possibility with other countries.

"We will be discussing this with a number of allies, including of course
President Macron, including President Zelensky here today, and we will play
our full part," he said.

Earlier, when asked if Britain would send a military contingent to the
country, he said: "It is really important that Ukraine is put in the
strongest possible position."

The UK has been one of Ukraine's biggest military backers, pledging œ12.8
billion ($16 billion) in military and civilian aid since Russia invaded.

London has committed œ3 billion of support every year "for as long as it
takes", and is also providing a œ2.2 billion loan backed by profits on frozen
Russian assets.

The United States remains by far Ukraine's biggest financial backer -- but
that looks set to change when Trump arrives.

His nominee for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said Wednesday that the new
administration would instead seek "bold diplomacy" to end the war.

"There will have to be concessions made by the Russian Federation but also by
the Ukrainians," he said.

Trump has previously vowed to end the war within a day, with his aides
speaking of leveraging US assistance to Ukraine to force it into territorial
concessions.

Zelensky, who is pushing a "peace through strength" message, said Kyiv was
"not considering security guarantees for Ukraine without the United States of
America".

As part of Ukraine's whirlwind diplomatic effort, Italy's Defence Minister
Guido Crosetto announced Thursday that he had also arrived in Kyiv on an
official visit.

In Poland a day earlier, Zelensky had called for the West to buy Kyiv weapons
with around $250 billion of unallocated frozen Russian assets.

- 'Initiative' -
The visits come at a precarious moment for Ukraine on the battlefield.

Fighting has escalated before Trump's inauguration on Monday as both sides
seek to gain the upper hand ahead of potential negotiations.

At several key points in the northern Kharkiv and eastern Donetsk regions,
Russian forces have exploited their advantages in manpower and resources to
steadily advance.

Zelensky conceded on Thursday that Russia had the "initiative" in the east of
the country, but pointed to Ukraine's hold of Russian territory in its
western Kursk region as a sign of his forces' potential.