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Russia condemns 100-year partnership agreement between Ukraine and UK

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Russia condemns 100-year partnership agreement between Ukraine and UK
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Volodymyr Zelensky laying flowers at the Wall of Remembrance of Fallen Defenders on Kyiv's Mykhailivska Square on Jan. 16, 2025. (Presidential Office)

Russia criticized a newly announced 100-year partnership agreement between Ukraine and the U.K., rejecting any cooperation between the two nations in the Azov Sea. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Jan. 18 declared such claims to the region a "gross interference" in Russia’s affairs, claiming they would face firm resistance.

The Kremlin expressed concern on Jan. 17 over potential deployment of British military assets in Ukraine under the agreement, particularly in the Azov Sea. Russia views the sea as part of its territory, citing its proximity to Russian borders, areas of southern Ukraine under Russian occupation, and Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014.

Zakharova dismissed the agreement as meaningless from Russia’s perspective, calling it a "PR campaign" by Kyiv. She added that Moscow considers the Sea of Azov an "internal sea."

The partnership, announced on Jan. 16 during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Kyiv, includes commitments to strengthen military cooperation in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, and Sea of Azov. Starmer pledged to support Ukraine with robust security guarantees if negotiations for a ceasefire with Russia move forward.

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The agreement marked Starmer’s first visit to Ukraine as prime minister and highlighted the U.K.'s continued support for President Volodymyr Zelensky. Starmer described the long-term partnership as a commitment to Ukraine’s security and sovereignty.

Russia’s objections underline ongoing tensions over control of the Azov Sea, a strategic waterway central to both economic and military interests in the region. Moscow’s position signals potential challenges to Ukraine and U.K.’s efforts to enhance cooperation in contested areas.

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Olena Goncharova

Head of North America desk

Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.

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"The Russians personally visited the central districts of Kyiv, in particular Independence Square, assessed the situation on the spot and further adjusted... the operational plan of neutralizing protest actions with the forceful dispersal of demonstrators," the State Bureau of Investigation said.

"Last night, Poland's airspace was breached 19 times by drones manufactured in Russia. The assessment of Polish and NATO air forces is that they did not veer off course, but were deliberately targeted," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in a video statement.

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