The British prime minister\u2019s visit to Kyiv, his first since taking office in July, caps a week of hurried diplomatic activity by Ukraine\u2019s NATO allies, keen to prove their commitment as uncertainty hangs over the incoming Trump administration. <\/p>\n
The \u201c100-year partnership\u201d \u2013 the centerpiece of Keir Starmer\u2019s visit \u2013 did have an air of a PR stunt about it in a country that has no idea what will happen in one year, and the text of the agreement didn\u2019t offer anything revolutionary. The UK is already the third biggest military donor to Ukraine (though it\u2019s given just over 10% of what the US has) and the two countries inked a bilateral security cooperation agreement last year. The 100-year deal adds maritime security, social integration, and a new UK program to track stolen grain to the slate, but none of those comes close to the security guarantees Ukraine is looking for, a point Starmer indirectly acknowledged. \u201cWe will work with you and all of our allies on steps that would be robust enough to guarantee Ukraine\u2019s security,\u201d he promised in a press conference in Kyiv. <\/p>\n
Ukraine is on the clock here. The Institute for the Study of War estimates Russia gained more than 4,000 square kilometers of territory in 2024 (some of it retaken from Ukrainian forces in its own Kursk region), more than 10 times its total gains in 2023, though it came at significant manpower cost. The Trump administration has made clear it will push for a diplomatic solution that may involve Ukraine accepting these losses. <\/p>\n
And so \u201cpeace through strength,\u201d as Starmer posted on X Thursday, has become the refrain. In other words, try to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position, economically, politically and militarily, to negotiate. The same motto was in used in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday when President Volodymyr Zelensky met Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who promised to accelerate Ukraine\u2019s path to EU membership. Germany, Ukraine\u2019s second biggest military backer, sent its defense minister to Kyiv Tuesday, with the promise of a brand-new artillery system. <\/p>\n
Perhaps the strongest signal of support came from French President Emmanuel Macron, who called Zelensky on Monday to discuss, among other things, a French proposal to deploy \u201cmilitary contingents\u201d in Ukraine \u2013 European boots on the ground \u2013 as a deterrent against any Russian effort to advance further into the country or beyond. \u201cThis is an issue that we are all discussing,\u201d said Starmer Thursday, \u201cbut it must be capable of deterring future aggression. So that\u2019s the test of any discussion, any conversation that we\u2019re having.\u201d <\/p>\n
And perhaps in a sign of the diplomatic challenge ahead, Zelensky and Starmer did not shy away from discussing the elephant in the room \u2013 the imminent transfer of power in the US. For Zelensky, who has actively tried to charm the incoming administration in recent weeks, even endorsing Trump\u2019s claim he can end the war quickly, there was no talk of managing without Washington\u2019s help. \u201cWe do not consider security guarantees for Ukraine without the United States, so it is too early to talk about the details,\u201d he told reporters. <\/p>\n
Starmer took a conciliatory tone, paying tribute to the US contribution so far, and promising: \u201cWe can, we will continue to work with the US on this. We are working today. We will work tomorrow.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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