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Ukraine-UK Relations

"The UK will continue to support Ukraine to defend itself, until it wins a just and sustainable peace, in line with the UN Charter, that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity." So spoke UK Ambassador James Kariuki at the 18 July 2023 UN General Assembly meeting on Ukraine.

The UK government’s top foreign policy priority for 2023 is to support Ukraine to win the war. The UK has been in the vanguard of Ukraine’s international partners across the piece. This political and military support is reinforced by efforts on strategic communications and counter-disinformation as well as substantial emergency responses on humanitarian, fiscal, and energy needs. These urgent needs have been compounded by a sharp decline in the Ukrainian economy and huge damage to infrastructure. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that the economy contracted by 30% in 2022, with poverty rising from 5% to 24% over the year.

Direct damage has reached over $135 billion (concentrated in housing, transport, energy, and commercial and industrial sectors as well as in frontline oblasts) while the overall reconstruction and recovery needs are estimated at $411 billion.[footnote 1] The World Bank (WB) estimates that Russian attacks on energy infrastructure have resulted in over $10 billion of damage, with around 60% of power capacity destroyed, damaged or occupied. As of February 2023, 17.6 million people in need of humanitarian support have been identified, including 8.2 million refugees and 5.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The Government of Ukraine’s (GoU) National Recovery Plan has begun the task of defining key recovery and reconstruction priorities but need far outweighs available resources, making prioritisation and coordination very challenging. Early recovery will depend heavily on donor funds but we are working to create the conditions for private sector investment. Ukraine’s recovery response needs to be sensitive and nuanced in acknowledgement that the war has impacted its regions and groups differently. The recovery response must manage public expectations on speed and scale, transparency, and inclusion. It must also acknowledge the remaining challenges related to reintegration of territories temporarily occupied by Russia. This is critical to ensure that recovery can sustain the impact of early stabilisation efforts and guarantee a smooth post-war transition.

The UK has a good track record of support for governance, economic, and social reform in Ukraine, particularly on anti-corruption, judicial reform, and elections. The war has changed political and economic dynamics significantly. This includes stronger national consensus on Euro-Atlantic integration, greater international support for Ukraine, strong desire for reforms to build a more resilient Ukraine, and strong civil society and civic activism. Public support for reform and strengthening of governance has grown as Ukraine has successfully resisted Russian aggression, and decentralisation has shown its effectiveness. However, Ukraine’s recovery plan and assessments by the European Union (EU) and IMF emphasise the need for continued progress on tackling corruption, strengthening the rule of law, building administration capacity and improving the investment climate.

Significant progress on gender-based violence and related women’s rights issues over the past decade has been put at risk by war and exacerbated by instances of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence. Women and children make up most of the refugee and internally displaced populations. This work helps to ensure that women, systematically excluded groups (such as the LGBT+ community), and the most vulnerable (including older people, people in care, and people with disabilities) will have their rights protected, be able to voice and participate in decision-making, and have urgent needs met.

Historically, Ukraine has maintained a generally positive relationship with the United Kingdom. This relationship has been shaped by several key factors:

• Economic relations: The UK has been an important trade partner for Ukraine, with numerous British businesses investing in the Ukrainian economy. These ties were strengthened after the UK left the European Union and started to negotiate trade deals independently.
• Military and defense cooperation: After the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine, the UK has supported Ukraine by providing non-lethal military aid and training to Ukrainian forces.
• Political support: The UK has consistently supported Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression. The UK has also backed Ukraine's efforts towards reforms and its ambition to integrate with European and global institutions.
• Cultural and Educational exchange: The UK and Ukraine have fostered connections through various exchange programs and initiatives, fostering mutual understanding and people-to-people links.

Diplomatic relations between Ukraine and the United Kingdom were established on 10 January 1992. Embassy of Ukraine in the United Kingdom began its work in September 1992. The British Embassy in Ukraine was opened the same year later.

The Presidents of Ukraine four times visited the UK - in February 1993, December 1995, April 2017 and October 2020. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom visited Ukraine in April 1996. The Prime Ministers of Ukraine visited the UK four times, among which the last visit took place in December 2019. The Chairman of the Parliament of Ukraine (Verkhovna Rada) visited the UK (England and Scotland) in June 2018. After the Revolution of Dignity and Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014 the United Kingdom actively supported our country politically and through technical assistance. London initiated international sanctions against Russia for its aggression in Ukraine and occupation of Crimea. Great Britain supported Ukraine in such international organizations as the United Nations, OSCE, NATO, EU, Council of Europe, UNESCO. After leaving the EU in January 2020, the United Kingdom started working on its own sanction policy, basing itself on a close cooperation with other partners during last six years about European sanction packages against Russia.

On 8 October 2020 in London, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson signed an Agreement on Political Cooperation, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Martin Harris CMG OBE was appointed 06 July 2023 His Majesty’s Ambassador to Ukraine in succession to Dame Melinda Simmons DCMG, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Harris would take up his appointment in September 2023.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on 21 July 2023 dismissed the country's ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, after he criticised Zelesnky's response to a row over British military aid. He had called Mr Zelensky's promise to thank the UK defence minister every morning "unhealthy sarcasm". Prystaiko's dismissal came after he criticised Zelensky's sarcastic response to suggestions from UK defence minister Ben Wallace that Ukraine should show more gratitude for arms supplies from its allies. Prystaiko is a Ukrainian career diplomat appointed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 20 July 2020. Prystaiko previously held the positions of Vice-Prime-Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration (2020) and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (2019-2020).

Ben Wallace said he had warned Ukraine that its allies were "not Amazon", saying Kyiv needed to show gratitude for weapons it received in order to persuade Western politicians to give more. He was speaking at the NATO summit after President Zelensky criticised the military alliance for delays in making Ukraine a member. Wallace's remarks had stirred anger in Kyiv and he later said his words had been "somewhat misrepresented".

The latest NATO Summit in Vilnius exposed Ukraine fatigue, with UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan lecturing Kiev over its ingratitude. "Whether we like it or not, people want to see a bit of gratitude," UK Defense Minister Wallace said. While speaking to reporters in Vilnius, Wallace recalled that every time Kiev received new Western weaponry, they immediately lobbied for more: "I told [Ukrainians] that last year, when I drove 11 hours to be given a list, that I’m not like Amazon," the British minister said.