Ukraine-UK loan deal: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a warm welcome from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London, a day after his tense meeting with US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office over discussions on ending the Ukraine war.
Ukraine-UK loan deal: Ukraine and the United Kingdom signed a loan agreement worth 2.26 billion pounds (USD 2.84 billion) to strengthen Ukraine’s defence capabilities, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faced an extraordinary diplomatic fallout with US President Donald Trump at the White House. This loan will enhance Ukraine’s defense capabilities and will be paid back using revenues from frozen Russian assets.
As per the reports, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko signed the loan agreement, with the first tranche of funds set to be disbursed to Ukraine by next week.
UK’s unwavering support for Ukraine
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer embraced Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on Saturday and told him he had the UK.’s unwavering support.
Zelenskyy arrived to cheers from people who had gathered outside of 10 Downing St., where Starmer gave him a hug and ushered him inside. The two leaders met on the eve of a meeting of European leaders in London. Called to discuss how European nations can defend Ukraine — and themselves — if the US withdraws support, it has taken on new urgency following Trump’s televised berating of Zelenskyy.
“And as you heard from the cheers on the street outside, you have full backing across the United Kingdom,: Starmer told the leader of the war-torn country. “We stand with you, with Ukraine, for as long as it may take.”
After the meeting, Britain announced it was extending a 2.26 billion pound (USD 2.84 billion) loan to Kyiv for military procurement, with the money coming from the profits on frozen Russian assets. It’s Britain’s contribution to a USD 50 billion package of support pledged by the G-7 group of wealthy industrialized nations.
“Meaningful, warm meeting with UK PM Keir Starmer”: Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy thanked UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for his unwavering support during their meeting in London, calling it a “meaningful and warm” discussion.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy wrote, “A meaningful and warm meeting with Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer. During our talks, we discussed the challenges facing Ukraine and all of Europe, coordination with partners, concrete steps to strengthen Ukraine’s position, and ending the war with a just peace, along with robust security guarantees.”
“A principled statement of support from the Prime Minister and an important decision: today, in our presence, Ukraine and the United Kingdom signed a Loan Agreement. This loan will enhance Ukraine’s defence capabilities and will be repaid using revenues from frozen Russian assets,” he said on X.
“The funds will be directed toward weapons production in Ukraine. This is true justice – the one who started the war must be the one to pay,” he added.Expressing gratitude to the UK government, he stated. “I thank the people and government of the United Kingdom for their tremendous support from the very beginning of this war. We are happy to have such strategic partners and to share the same vision of what a secure future should look like for all.”
(With AP inputs)
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