Amid political turmoil at home, UK remains 'resolutely behind Ukraine,' minister tells Kyiv Independent

The U.K's governing Labour Party suffered losses in the country's May 7 local elections, which are leading to calls for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign, but Ukrainians should not worry about continued support, Europe Minister Stephen Doughty told the Kyiv Independent in an interview in Brussels just after the government announced a fresh package of support.

"I have a very clear message of reassurance, which is that the British public remains resolutely behind Ukraine, and as does the mainstream of British politics across multiple parties," Doughty said.

The May 7 local elections led to setbacks for the U.K's governing Labour Party, with the right-wing populist Reform U.K. party the main beneficiary. Reform is led by arch-eurosceptic Nigel Farage, who has flirted with Russia in the past.

In 2024, Farage repeated the Russian claim that countries wishing to join NATO in some way justified Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

And the party's former leader in Wales was jailed in November 2025 for taking bribes for spreading Russian propaganda, which Doughty also mentioned as an example of enduring British support for Ukraine.

Starmer defended his party and his government's track record on May 11, but parliamentarians from his own party began calling for him to resign later that day.

The minister, however, was visiting the EU capital to attend a meeting of ministers coordinated by Ukraine, Canada, and the EU dedicated to recovering abducted Ukrainian children, with a new package of support in hand.

The issue remains serious, with Putin estimated to have abducted over 20,000 children and Russia indoctrinating them so as to erase their Ukrainian identity, an act of genocide.

Doughty called the abduction of children "one of the most heinous and appalling" aspects of Russia's full-scale invasion, and he told the Kyiv Independent that he was able to meet some of the organizations tracing down the abducted children, and directly with some of those children who have successfully escaped from Russia.

"I was deeply affected by what they told me, and deeply inspired by what they told me," Doughty said, and he argued that this issue "should unite the world, (to) care for the basic standards of humanity and protection of Ukrainian children."

Earlier that day, the U.K. government announced a fresh package of sanctions against 29 entities associated with the abduction of children, and a further 56 targeting those helping Russia's information war efforts.

Accompanying the new sanctions is 1.2 million pounds ($1.6 million) to help locate and verify Ukrainian children who have been illegally taken to Russia.

On the latter, the number is quite small when compared with the pledges being made by others. Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys announced 10 million ($11.7 million) to bring back Ukrainian children, and the EU's Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said the bloc would be contributing "nearly 50 million euros" ($59 million) separately from that.

And last week, Starmer said his country is negotiating to join the EU's already-planned 90 billion euro ($105 billion) loan for Ukraine, as opposed to announcing a contribution on top of the loan, which could help fill Ukraine's 20 billion euro ($23 billion) defense budget gap this year.

When asked if more money might be forthcoming, Doughty said, "I don't want to get ahead of any future decisions," but he recalled that the U.K. has "been one of the largest supporters of Ukraine financially."

And "we've signed up to a 100-year partnership that should pose a very clear indication of our commitment to Ukraine, not just to ensure that Ukraine is supported now when they need it the most, but also into the future," Doughty added.