President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer.
The Head of State expressed his gratitude for the defense, political, and economic support, provided by the UK, particularly for the package announced on December 19 aimed at strengthening the Ukrainian Navy.
The President also commended the Government's decision to allocate a GBP 2 billion loan for Ukrainian arms production, which will be repaid at the expense of frozen Russian assets.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the UK for its commitment to continue training Ukrainian warriors next year as part of Operation Interflex. He emphasized that Ukraine also relies on the UK to train and equip Ukrainian brigades, following the examples of the United States and France.
Special attention was paid to the importance of strengthening sanctions against Russia and, specifically, its shadow tanker fleet. The Head of State emphasized the need to maximize restrictions on the use of Russian tankers. This will not only reduce Russia's ability to finance the war, but also help protect the environment in the North and Baltic Seas.
The discussion covered the leaders' meetings in Brussels and the JEF Summit in Estonia, as well as the efforts needed to strengthen Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Keir Starmer stressed that only effective security guarantees can ensure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.
The President noted that our state is interested in deepening cooperation with JEF and pursuing full membership in the organization.
In addition, they spoke about drafting a 100-year bilateral agreement on the transition to a stronger and deeper partnership. Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated his invitation to Keir Starmer to visit Ukraine.