MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/. The 100-year partnership deal signed by Ukraine and the UK contains some secret provisions, Vladimir Zelensky said.
"The signing of the 100-year partnership agreement marks a fundamentally new format of relations. Relations between Ukraine and the United Kingdom are now closer than ever," he said in a video posted on his Telegram channel. "There is also a classified, secret part of the agreement," he added.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, in turn, said that the accord provided for cooperation in "ambitious areas," included in both open and classified provisions. He also described London as Kiev’s "key ally."
Andrey Yermak, head of Zelensky’s office, specified that the agreement stipulated increasing Kiev’s military capability, particularly through the creation of a joint flotilla, the UK’s training of Ukrainian troops, as well as weapons production. According to him, the two countries will also coordinate military activities. "Finalizing the mechanism will require work but the fact that these terms have been introduced into our bilateral relations is absolutely unprecedented. This once again makes it clear that we are moving from cooperation to allied relations," Yerman noted.
The 100-year agreement was signed during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kiev on January 16.