10:13 09.10.2020

UK to help equip Ukraine's Navy with modern NATO-compliant missile boats - President's Office

3 min read
UK to help equip Ukraine's Navy with modern NATO-compliant missile boats - President's Office

The UK will help re-equip the Ukrainian Navy with modern missile boats that are compatible with NATO standards and will be able to cover the need for ships of this class in the Black and Azov Seas, the Office of the President of Ukraine has said.

"To finance this work, the UK government will provide a ten-year loan worth up to £1.25 billion. Ukraine will be able to observe and study the construction of the first ships in Britain in parallel with the modernization of its own shipbuilding, which will ensure the construction of the next ships in Ukraine. The funds will also go to the construction of port infrastructure for basing of ships in Ochakiv. This agreement will help strengthen Ukraine's defenses at sea and increase security in southern Ukraine," the press service of the President's Office said following the official visit of the Ukrainian delegation led by President Volodymyr Zelensky to the UK.

In addition, the Ukrainian delegation is returning with up to £2.5 billion in loan guarantees for UK-Ukraine trade contracts. The corresponding memorandum was signed on Thursday evening in the presence of the President.

"As Volodymyr Zelensky said, these funds can be used to implement investment projects in such priority areas as security and defense, agriculture, infrastructure, energy and healthcare. The conditions for providing funds are very comfortable for Ukraine," the President's Office reported.

During the visit, for the first time, the head of Ukrainian state was received by members of the British royal family.

A historic agreement on political cooperation, free trade and strategic partnership between Ukraine and the UK was signed.

"This Agreement after Brexit guarantees our citizens and business stability in cooperation and opens up new potential, including such areas as trade, industrial policy, energy, agriculture, information society, environment, global challenges to combat climate change and more," the President's Office reported.

Also, the Ukrainian side managed to reach agreements providing for the liberalization of the terms of trade in goods and services at a level not lower than that provided for in the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, the President's Office said.

"The United Kingdom and Ukraine have reaffirmed their commitment to democratic principles, human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as to the international order that preserves peace. We have received full support for Ukraine's European integration and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. The United Kingdom condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine and supported the need to unconditionally restore the territorial integrity of our state within the internationally recognized borders," the message says.

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