Published on •Updated
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer travelled to Ukraine on Thursday for a farewell visit, using his final overseas trip in office to reaffirm his nation’s long-term support before handing power to his successor next week.
Starmer is due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where he is expected to stress that the UK’s backing for Ukraine will continue after Andy Burnham takes office as prime minister on Monday.
“Our cast-iron support for Ukraine will always endure,” Starmer said in a statement released ahead of the visit.
“Throughout this conflict, I have seen the incredible fortitude of the Ukrainian people and the iron will of a nation that refuses to be cowed. Their stand has not only defended its own freedom, it has preserved the security of Europe.”
The trip comes just days after Britain joined the European Union’s €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan. A move that gives British defence companies access to contracts funded by the EU programme, and in turn, London will have to cover a share of €3 billion in annual interest rates, depending on how much its firms benefit.
The agreement has been hailed in Brussels as an important step in strengthening Europe’s collective support for Kyiv.
Burnham will formally become leader of the governing Labour Party on Friday before being appointed prime minister by King Charles III on Monday. He will become the UK’s fifth prime minister since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Starmer to step down on Friday
Starmer announced his resignation last month after losing the confidence of his own Labour Party following a series of domestic policy U-turns.
While his standing at home declined, he retained strong international support for his stance on Ukraine, NATO and his efforts to rebuild relations with Europe after Brexit.
His departure has prompted Brussels to postpone plans for a UK-EU summit that had been scheduled for 22 July. London hopes to resume talks led by its new prime minister after the summer.
Alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Starmer has been one of Europe’s leading advocates for Ukraine, helping establish the UK-France-led “Coalition of the Willing”, which has drawn together more than 30 countries to plan long-term security guarantees and a potential multinational peacekeeping force should a peace agreement with Russia be reached.
Additional sources • AFP