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• UK and Ukraine sign new arrangement on defence and industrial cooperation.
• Signing came during UK鈥檚 largest ever trade mission to Ukraine since Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion, with 29 UK defence businesses in Kyiv to meet Ukrainian businesses.
• Trade Minister Greg Hands also in Kyiv to sign the arrangement, co-chair Infrastructure Taskforce and attend trade mission.

The UK and Ukraine have signed a new defence agreement to encourage cooperation on defence and industrial issues.聽聽

The signing, which took place in Kyiv, came during UK鈥檚 largest ever trade mission to Ukraine, with a delegation of 29 UK businesses travelling to the country to speak about their expertise and find opportunities for cooperation.聽聽

The arrangement is the latest sign of the UK鈥檚 unwavering support for Ukraine鈥檚 defence efforts and long-term recovery and will help make Ukraine鈥檚 military operations more efficient. It鈥檚 designed to enable both countries to work together to tackle security challenges, enhance defence industries, and deliver high-profile joint projects over the coming months.聽聽

Increased co-operation could see dozens of projects between some of the UK鈥檚 biggest defence companies, Ukraine鈥檚 Armed Forces and Ukrainian companies 鈥� from establishing strategic military repair facilities to rebuilding civilian infrastructure and implementing technology to defend against cyber-attacks.聽聽聽聽聽聽

During the trade mission to Kyiv, UK defence company BAE Systems agreed a contract with the UK Ministry of Defence to maintain and repair gifted L119 Light Guns in Ukraine. This means L119s which were donated by the UK to Ukraine can be serviced in country and returned to the frontline quicker and provides vital support for Ukraine鈥檚 defence infrastructure.

UK Minister for Trade Policy Greg Hands, who accompanied the business delegation and signed the arrangement, said: > The UK has led the world in support of Ukraine following Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion.聽聽 > > Now is the time to double down on our support so Ukraine not only wins the war but emerges from it as a strong and resilient country. Defence is a critical element of that which is why we鈥檙e facilitating further defence trade between our nations with this Agreement.聽 > > Our trade missions, alongside this signing, are testament to the UK鈥檚 integral role in boosting Ukraine鈥檚 war-time economy and facilitating their long-term recovery.

UK Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge said: > This is the latest demonstration of the UK鈥檚 unwavering commitment to Ukraine, as they continue to fight back against Putin鈥檚 illegal invasion.聽聽 > > This is now a war of industrial production and so it is key that we unleash the capability, capacity, ingenuity and innovation of our respective industrial bases.聽聽 > 鈥淭he Framework Arrangement will augment this joint activity, further supporting the brave men and women of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.鈥�

Alexander Kamyshin, Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, said: > It was the UK that was the first country to sign the Security Cooperation Agreement with Ukraine, and it was British defence companies that were the first to open their offices here after the start of the great war.聽聽 > > Our partnership is developing, and today we are one step closer to British manufacturers being the first to start producing their weapons in Ukraine.

Gabby Costigan, BAE Systems鈥� Group Managing Director, Business Development said: > We鈥檙e extremely proud to work with the UK Government in supporting Ukraine鈥檚 long term defence requirements.聽聽 > > Our experience providing support in challenging environments as well as our leading defensive cyber capabilities mean we鈥檝e played a leading role in identifying solutions that will help Ukraine secure victory and we look forward to strengthening our relationship further.

The UK has now provided almost 拢12 billion in military, humanitarian and economic support to Ukraine.聽聽

This new Framework Arrangement follows the historic UK-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation, which was signed by the Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy in January 2024, and marked the start of an unshakeable hundred-year partnership between the UK and Ukraine.聽

The UK鈥檚 private sector plays an important role in Ukraine鈥檚 recovery. As part of the mission, the UK-Ukraine Infrastructure Taskforce, which provides expertise on the rebuild of Ukraine鈥檚 infrastructure, met with Trade Minister Greg Hands and Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov agreeing further support for Ukraine鈥檚 reconstruction efforts. 聽聽

The National Digital Twin Programme also showcased UK creativity and expertise and extended an offer of capability building workshops to facilitate smart cooperation in critical infrastructure projects covering the entirety of Ukraine.聽聽聽

Further to this, joint work between UK Export Finance (UKEF) and the Government of Ukraine has led to the opening of the first of six bridges as part of our ongoing support through the Infrastructure Taskforce to rebuild critical infrastructure in Ukraine.聽

Background:

• HMG has been supporting Ukraine in various ways since the war began. We were the first European country to provide lethal aid to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. Since the start of the conflict, the UK has sent almost 400 different types of capabilities to Ukraine.聽聽
• The UK has now provided almost 拢12 billion in military, humanitarian and economic support to Ukraine and has often been the first-mover on vital lethal aid, from Storm Shadow cruise missiles to a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks.聽
• The UK鈥檚 non-military support to Ukraine since the start of the invasion comes to 拢4.7bn. This includes 拢4.1bn in fiscal support, and over 拢660m in bilateral assistance.聽聽
• We have introduced the largest and most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on Russia or indeed any major economy. And we have now sanctioned over 1700 individuals and entities since Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.聽聽聽
• Total trade in goods and services between the UK and Ukraine amounted to 拢1.5 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q2 2023.