What the Ratification of the 100-Year Partnership Agreement with the United Kingdom Means for Ukraine
The ratification of the agreement establishes a long-term framework for cooperation in defense, economy, energy, and technology to strengthen security and integration into Western alliances
On September 17, 2025, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted Bill No. 0332, which ratified the agreement on a 100-year partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The document, signed on January 16, 2025, envisages cooperation in numerous areas: defense and security, economy, energy, science, technology, culture, justice, information security, education, social sphere, and migration issues. The agreement consists of two parts – an open part and a secret part. The secret part, as stated by officials, is aimed at enhancing Ukraine’s resilience and development capabilities.
Defense Component of the Agreement: What Will Actually Change
The UK commits to providing Ukraine with military assistance of at least £3.6 billion annually until the financial year 2030/31, and thereafter as needed. This assistance will include training Ukrainian military personnel, including pilots, supplying military aviation, and participating in joint weapons production, including drones and artillery.
Within the defense framework, particular attention is given to maritime security: the agreement provides for the creation of a new structure to strengthen security in the Baltic, Black, and Azov Seas and enhance the ability to counter systemic long-term threats to freedom of navigation.
Economy, Energy, and Technology: Challenges and Potential
The agreement designates the UK as a priority partner for Ukraine in the energy sector, in the extraction of critical minerals, and in the production of “green” steel, aligning with the broader European course toward clean energy and decarbonization. Cooperation in technology, science, and innovation envisages university partnerships and participation in projects related to unmanned technologies, agricultural technologies, and space. This can contribute to the modernization of Ukraine’s technical potential, increased exports of high-tech goods, and more active integration into global scientific and technological chains. The energy component includes cooperation in “clean” energy, climate issues, and seeking investments for the modernization of the energy system.
Justice, Information Security, Social, and Cultural Spheres as Components of State Resilience
The agreement includes provisions for developing justice and combating corruption, which aim to strengthen the internal legitimacy of institutions and improve the investment climate. Cooperation in information security and countering informational manipulations and interference is a key element, as Russia’s war against Ukraine includes a significant informational-hybrid component. The cultural and educational aspects of the agreement – such as the participation of British universities in partnerships, student exchanges, and the development of joint scientific-educational projects – are aimed at building human capital and adapting Ukraine to standards significant for the Western world.
Why This Agreement Has Strategic Importance for Ukraine’s and the Alliance’s Security
The agreement formalizes Ukraine’s status as a priority military-strategic partner of the UK and, through this, as one of the key shields on the Western front of strategic confrontation with Russia. The supply of aviation, joint weapons production, and maritime security create additional defense depth that is difficult to neutralize through external threats alone.
Additionally, the agreement creates conditions for Ukraine to join formats that were previously more exclusive, such as the Joint Expeditionary Force and other multinational structures, providing joint response capabilities and shared control over standards.
The 100-year duration of the partnership exceeds the typical term of bilateral agreements of this level and signals the UK’s commitment for a very long period, reducing the risk that support will significantly change due to shifts in political circumstances. For Ukraine, this means greater predictability in the defense budget, strategic plans, production, modernization, and international alliances.
What Ukraine Must Do to Fully Utilize the Agreement
Ukraine must urgently carry out internal procedures – adapting legislation, standardizing defense and security activities to British and NATO standards, strengthening oversight of the agreement’s implementation quality, and creating a platform for joint monitoring of partnership results.
It is necessary to build the capacity of its own defense industry so that joint production projects do not remain mere import substitutions for one segment but become part of an internal production chain.
In energy and ecology, it is crucial to identify specific projects with British partners, particularly in the extraction of critical minerals, modernization of energy infrastructure, and the development of “green” energy.
Ukraine must develop a clear roadmap for maritime security, particularly in the Black and Azov Seas: which platforms and forces will be involved, which technologies, and what frameworks of responsibility (human and material).
In the areas of justice, anti-corruption, and information security, transparency in the agreement’s implementation must be ensured to prevent international partners from losing trust or obligations remaining on paper.
The ratification of the 100-year partnership agreement with the United Kingdom provides Ukraine with significant opportunities to strengthen its defense capabilities and predictability in military, economic, energy, and scientific-technological relations. This is a signal to other partners that Ukraine is becoming a long-term center of cooperation.
Anton Kuchukhidze, political scientist and foreign policy analyst, expert at the “United Ukraine” Think Tank