President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy began his working visit to the United Kingdom with a meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
"I want to thank you and the people of the United Kingdom for the tremendous support you have provided since the very beginning of this war. In Ukraine, we are very happy to have such strategic partners," the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expressed gratitude for the organization of the upcoming meeting of European leaders in London, scheduled for tomorrow.
The future of Europe and transatlantic unity is being shaped right now. Russia’s war in Ukraine, the direct threats to all of Europe, and the search for pathways to peace are the key topics of today’s bilateral talks as well as tomorrow’s broader meeting with partners.
The Ukrainian President and the British Prime Minister also shared details of their recent visits to the United States.
The leaders held extensive discussions on coordination with partners, the implementation of a joint action plan, and concrete steps to strengthen Ukraine’s position and bring the war to an end with a lasting and just peace. A peace that will not allow Russia to use the ceasefire to rearm and attack again. That is why Ukraine, Europe, and the United States must be at the table for any potential peace negotiations.
A separate focus was placed on robust security guarantees and the role the United Kingdom is ready to play in them. The leaders reaffirmed a shared vision of what confidence in the future should look like for all.
Keir Starmer reiterated that the United Kingdom will stand with Ukraine for as long as necessary. He emphasized that this was the reason why so many people in London took to the streets today to express their support in this way.
"They came out to demonstrate just how strongly they support you, how strongly they support Ukraine. And also our unwavering determination to stand with you and achieve what we both seek – a lasting peace for Ukraine, built on sovereignty and security for Ukraine. This is crucial for Ukraine, for Europe, and for the United Kingdom," the British Prime Minister said.
Additionally, in the presence of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Keir Starmer, Ukraine’s Minister of Finance Sergii Marchenko (online) and UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves signed a loan agreement between Ukraine as the borrower and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as the lender.
In October last year, the EU and G7 countries jointly decided to provide loans totaling up to €45 billion to support Ukraine’s urgent budgetary, military, and reconstruction needs. The United Kingdom plans to contribute up to £2.258 billion, which can be used for purchasing defense materials for Ukraine.
The loan is provided for a period of 30 years and will be repaid using revenues generated from frozen Russian assets.
