KYIV: Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged on Thursday to work with Ukraine and allies to offer Kyiv robust security guarantees if a ceasefire is negotiated with Russia, offering more support to President Volodymyr Zelensky with a 100-year partnership deal.

In his first trip to Ukraine since becoming prime minister in July last year, Starmer was keen to underline Britain’s support for the nation just days before Donald Trump returns to power in the United States.

In talks punctuated by the sound of a loud explosion from Ukraine’s air defences shooting down a Russian drone above the presidential palace, Zelensky said he had spoken to Starmer about Kyiv’s desire for Western peacekeeping troops to be deployed in Ukraine in the event of peace.

Starmer said Britain would look at “the practical ways to get a just and lasting peace ... that guarantees your security, your independence and your right to choose your own future”, but declined to go into any details of which measures he supported.

“We will work with you and all of our allies on steps that would be robust enough to guarantee Ukraine’s security,” Starmer told a press conference alongside Zelensky.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2025