Zelenskyy: UK commits $3.6 billion in annual military aid to Ukraine

The United Kingdom will provide Ukraine with $3.6 billion in military aid annually, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference following the visit of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Kyiv.

"We have agreed on at least $3.6 billion in annual military aid to Ukraine for as long as it is needed," Zelenskyy stated, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

He added that, alongside funds from frozen Russian assets, Ukraine expects to receive a total of $6.6 billion in aid from London in 2025.

Meanwhile, the new measures also include the provision of 150 more artillery barrels and the UK-designed mobile air defence system, Gravehawk. Since the war's outset, the UK has pledged 12.8 billion pounds ($15.6 billion) in military and civilian aid to Ukraine.

Note that, Starmer and Zelenskyy signed a 100-year partnership agreement to further demonstrate long-term solidarity. This historic agreement commits the two countries to collaborate on defence, particularly maritime security, in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov. It also includes joint technology projects focused on drones, which have become crucial weapons for both sides in the conflict, and a system to track stolen Ukrainian grain illegally exported by Russia from occupied territories.

The agreement was signed just days before Donald Trump’s anticipated swearing-in as US president, who has pledged to bring an end to the conflict. Starmer’s pledge of enduring support contrasts sharply with Trump’s approach, underscoring Britain’s steadfast position in backing Ukraine in its nearly three-year war with Russia.

This marks Starmer’s first visit to Ukraine since taking office in July, although it is his seventh meeting with President Zelenskyy since the beginning of the war. 

By Aghakazim Guliyev