British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has arrived in Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, The Guardian and Politico has reported.
Ukraine and the UK will sign an agreement to deepen existing defence relations and strengthen economic ties in non-military areas.
Politico writes that it is an agreement on a "100-year partnership" aimed at strengthening security in the Black, Azov and Baltic Seas, as well as building economic and cultural ties between the two countries.
The agreement will cover joint work in science, technology and healthcare, as well as agriculture and even education.
The UK is working on a system to track Ukrainian grain that has been stolen from the Russian-occupied territories and resold. This database will be ready and handed over to Kyiv in the coming weeks. They will also discuss cooperation in the energy sector and key minerals.
Starmer is also expected to announce a new support package that will include lethal weapons, but the details are not yet known.
The reason for this step is the fear that after the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, the United States may begin to curtail its support for Ukraine.
According to Politico, Downing Street representatives note that Ukraine is now an advanced military power with a highly skilled armed forces and a technology sector that has been rapidly innovating and testing its new kit on the battlefield for the past three years. This real-world experience of war will also help the UK strengthen its defences.
- In early January, Ukraine and the UK held the fifth round of talks to conclude an agreement on the transition to a stronger and deeper partnership.
- And at the beginning of last year, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed a ten-year security agreement with a possibility of extension.