Keir Starmer pledges long-term British partnership with Ukraine during his visit to Kyiv

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on Thursday, in a show of solidarity four days before the inauguration of Donald J. Trump.

The trip to Ukraine, Starmer’s first since becoming prime minister over the summer, comes amid a flurry of diplomacy between Kiev and its European allies, who are watching to see whether Mr. Trump will maintain American support for Ukraine in the war against Russia. .

Britain is the third-largest provider of military aid to Ukraine, after the United States and Germany, and Mr. Starmer and Mr. Zelensky on Thursday signed a “100-year partnership” between their countries.

“We have reached a new level – this is more than just a strategic relationship,” Zelensky said, according to Ukrainian media.

The agreement will include a special focus on maritime security and promises to enhance cooperation in the areas of technology, healthcare and education. This follows a narrower security agreement signed a year ago in response to the invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2022.

“Putin’s ambition to alienate Ukraine from its closest partners has been a colossal strategic failure,” Starmer said. He said in a statement. “Instead, we are closer than ever.”

Mr. Trump said he planned to end the war quickly, but did not say how he would do so. Marco Rubio, his pick for secretary of state, said this week that Russia and Ukraine would have to make concessions in any negotiations.

Kiev’s official position is that it will not negotiate directly with Putin, a position confirmed by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sepha on Wednesday. But Mr. Zelensky said he hoped to meet Mr. Trump as soon as possible.

On Thursday, Valery Zalozhny, Ukraine’s ambassador to Britain and former Supreme Leader of Ukraine, accompanied Mr Starmer during the visit. He said that the partnership will deepen security relations and enhance cooperation between the two countries.

Zelensky told an allied meeting in Germany this month that he planned to discuss with Mr Starmer “in the coming weeks” the possibility of Britain sending peacekeeping forces to Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader also presented the idea to other European leaders, but they met it with skepticism.

Ukraine receives support in other ways from other European allies.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, He said on a visit to Kyiv On Tuesday, he expressed optimism that Berlin would find a way to send an additional 3 billion euros (about $3.1 billion) in military aid. But Germany is facing political turmoil of its own after the government collapsed a month ago.

Mr. Zelensky discussed France’s continued military support for Ukraine with President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call this week. According to Mr. Zelensky’s officeAnd the delegation of Latvia He visited Ukraine on Tuesday To discuss military and humanitarian support.

And on Wednesday Mr. Zelensky was in WarsawWhere he met with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and its President Andrzej Duda. Both expressed support for Ukraine’s attempt to join NATO, a prospect the military alliance has been reluctant to fully endorse, despite providing significant support to Kiev.

Ukraine has intensified its efforts on the diplomatic front as the Russian offensive continues in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

The last modest gains Ukraine made during its counteroffensive in the summer of 2023 were wiped out, according to an assessment Wednesday from DeepState, an analyst group with ties to the Ukrainian military, after Russian forces captured the village of Neskushyn.

Russian forces are also making progress in their attempts to besiege the main city of Pokrovsk, also located in eastern Ukraine, from the south.

While Mr Starmer was visiting Kiev, the Ukrainian capital was placed on air raid alert. Shortly after, a strong explosion was heard in the sky of the city. Vitali Klitschko, the city’s mayor, said air defenses were working and warned residents to stay in shelters.

The British leader and Mr Zelensky visited the hospital’s burns unit where wounded soldiers and civilians were being treated. After Mr Starmer introduced himself, Pietro, a civilian with burns on his hands and arms, asked: “Britain’s prime minister, isn’t he?” Then he added: “If Ukraine falls, Europe will fall too.”

Mr Starmer said the injuries he saw in hospital were a “grim reminder of the high price Ukraine is paying”.

Naralia Novosolova and Cassandra Winograd Contributed to reports.