The visit of the Ukrainian delegation led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the United Kingdom is over. A special nature of friendly and absolutely sincere relations between our states has been confirmed. For the first time the Head of State had an audience with members of the British royal family. The historic Agreement on Political Cooperation, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom was signed.
This post-Brexit agreement guarantees our citizens and businesses stability in cooperation and opens up new potential, covering areas such as trade, industrial policy, energy, agriculture, information society, environment, global challenges on combating climate change and more. The Ukrainian party managed to reach agreements that provide for the liberalization of conditions for trade in goods and services at a level not lower than that provided for in the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union.
The United Kingdom and Ukraine have reaffirmed their commitment to democratic principles, human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as to the international order that preserves peace. We have received full support for Ukraine's European integration and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. The United Kingdom condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine and supported the need to unconditionally restore the territorial integrity of our state within the internationally recognized borders.
We draw the attention of all Ukrainians to the highest level of trust achieved in relations with the United Kingdom. The result of such trust was several other fundamentally important agreements. The first is the re-equipment of the Ukrainian Navy with modern missile boats that are compatible with NATO standards and will be able to cover the need for ships of this class in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. To finance this work, the British government will provide a 10-year loan of up to 1.25 billion pounds. Ukraine will have an opportunity to observe and learn during the construction of the first ships in Britain in parallel with the modernization of its own shipbuilding, which will ensure the construction of the next ships in Ukraine. The funds will also be used to build port infrastructure for ship bases in Ochakiv. This agreement will help strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities at sea and increase security in southern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian delegation is also coming home with credit guarantees of up to £ 2.5 billion for British-Ukrainian trade contracts. The relevant Memorandum was signed tonight in the presence of the President. According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, these funds can be used to implement investment projects in such priority areas as security and defense, agriculture, infrastructure, energy and healthcare. The conditions for providing funds are very favorable for Ukraine.