Deepening of Ukrainian-British cooperation

Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, stated that the declaration signed on March 17 in London would effectively mark the creation of a defence alliance between Ukraine and the United Kingdom. “This is a logical continuation of our previous agreements: the treaty on a century-long partnership and the security agreement between Ukraine and the United Kingdom. At the same time, it represents a transition from political decisions to concrete, practical cooperation between the defense sectors of our countries.”

The document was signed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer. Under the agreement, Ukraine will share its combat experience, technologies, and solutions that have been tested during the war with Russia. These primarily concern the use of drones in combat conditions, electronic warfare, and modern warfare tactics. The United Kingdom, in turn, has committed to investing in and expanding arms production.

Both sides will work to fill critical gaps in air defense—particularly in drone interception, the development of detection systems, the integration of counter-cruise missile systems, and the enhancement of capabilities to counter ballistic missiles.

Zhovkva described the declaration as “a joint effort to shape a new security architecture for Europe based on experience, technology, and mutual trust. In this system, Ukraine is not merely a recipient of assistance but a full-fledged partner and co-creator of security.”

Calling the declaration a “true defence alliance” is, however, a considerable exaggeration. The document does not create alliance obligations between the two countries, such as a casus foederis. Instead, the declaration serves as another example of Ukraine leveraging the experience gained from its war with Russia. This experience is valuable to other Western nations and will remain one of Ukraine’s key assets and bargaining tools in the coming years.