Starmer pledges Ukraine support will endure beyond his premiership in final Kyiv visit
In his final visit as prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer has announced a new £255m military aid package for Ukraine and insisted that British support will remain steadfast under his successor.
Sir Keir Starmer has made his last visit to Ukraine as prime minister, using the occasion to announce a fresh military aid package worth £255m (€300m) and to insist that Britain's support for Kyiv will continue undiminished under his successor. Standing alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Ukrainian capital, the outgoing prime minister dismissed suggestions that Ukraine's defence had become a drain on Western resources, arguing instead that the country's stand had "preserved European security". The visit, which coincided with the final day of Sir Keir's leadership of the Labour Party before Andy Burnham assumes the role on Friday and becomes prime minister on Monday, was marked by the award of the Order of Freedom, one of Ukraine's highest honours, to the departing British leader.
The announcement of 16 new advanced aircraft and other military equipment came at a delicate moment for Mr Zelensky, who is facing rare public protests in several Ukrainian cities over his surprise dismissal of the popular Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Sir Keir's visit had been scheduled before the political turmoil erupted, but the timing placed the British prime minister in Kyiv as demonstrators gathered to protest against the sacking of the 35-year-old reformist minister. Mr Fedorov, who was appointed only in January and had been credited with leading a drive against corruption and modernising the ministry's approach to drone warfare and procurement, is expected to be replaced on Thursday by Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, subject to parliamentary approval.
Asked directly whether Mr Burnham would continue the UK's steadfast support for Ukraine, Sir Keir insisted that the change of leadership would not alter the fundamental dynamic. "The fact that there'll be a new prime minister in days to come doesn't change that dynamic at all," he said. "The resolve of the UK will remain the same – we will not waver." The prime minister leaves a legacy that includes the signing of a 100-year partnership agreement between the two countries, aimed at fostering closer defence and trade ties, and he has been at the forefront of efforts to establish a future international peacekeeping force for Ukraine. Standing beside Mr Zelensky, he said that Ukraine would always be at the forefront of his mind even as his time in office drew to a close, and that support for the country's cause was "in our bones". He pointed to the Ukrainian flags that continue to fly above Downing Street, churches and town halls across the United Kingdom, even five years into the conflict.
"Your fight is our fight, your security is our security, and the UK will not waver," Sir Keir assured the Ukrainian president. He added that the "shift in momentum is real" and that Ukraine was now in its strongest position since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. "Bravery will get you through unimaginable times but finally – I am certain – it will reward you with victory," he declared. The prime minister also highlighted how UK support for Ukraine had helped foster a domestic drone industry that he said had grown from almost nothing over the past two years to become world-leading technology. The visit comes as Russia continues to target the port of Odesa, where the Kremlin claimed to have hit port infrastructure used for unloading petroleum products, and as Russian attacks on Black Sea oil tankers were reported to have killed eight people.
Sir Keir's final Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday had seen Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch praise his work on Ukraine and his friendship with Mr Zelensky. During that session, the prime minister fondly recalled the "emotional moment" when he had welcomed the Ukrainian leader to Downing Street in the days following his contentious White House meeting with US President Donald Trump in February 2025. "I had a meeting with him to tell him that in this country we will stand with him and Ukraine," Sir Keir told MPs. The provision of 150 British-made artillery barrels under a £61m contract with BAE Systems is also being supplied to strengthen Ukraine's defence, while Mr Zelensky, speaking at the Nato summit in Turkey last week, pressed allies to focus on air defence systems in the face of intense Russian strikes and was subsequently granted permission by President Trump to produce Patriot missiles domestically. "I am so proud of what Britain has contributed," Sir Keir said in his closing statement in Kyiv. "That work will continue, and our cast-iron support for Ukraine will always endure."