Relationship dossier
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Relationship assessment
Close strategic and security partnership, strengthened by UK support for Ukraine’s defense
Ukraine toward United Kingdom
+70Ukraine has pursued a strategic partnership with the United Kingdom through the 2020 Strategic Partnership and Free Trade Agreement and the 2024 bilateral security agreement. Ukraine also cooperates with the United Kingdom on defense and security under these arrangements.
United Kingdom toward Ukraine
+85The United Kingdom has provided Ukraine with substantial military, economic and humanitarian assistance since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and has trained Ukrainian personnel through Operation Interflex. The 2024 bilateral security agreement formalized further security cooperation.
Overall relationship
+80The relationship rests on formal strategic and trade arrangements and extensive UK support for Ukraine’s defense since 2022. The 2024 security agreement reinforces this cooperation. The partnership is close and sustained, though the extent and duration of future commitments depend on implementation and policy decisions.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Ukraine and the United Kingdom maintain a close strategic and security partnership. Their 2020 Strategic Partnership and Free Trade Agreement and 2024 bilateral security agreement provide a framework for cooperation. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the United Kingdom has supplied substantial military, economic and humanitarian assistance and trained Ukrainian personnel. The relationship is strongly cooperative, with the United Kingdom playing a major role in supporting Ukraine’s defense.
Key developments
Ukraine and the United Kingdom signed a Strategic Partnership and Free Trade Agreement.
The United Kingdom launched Operation Interflex to train Ukrainian recruits.
Ukraine and the United Kingdom signed a bilateral security cooperation agreement.
Major uncertainties
- The long-term scope and implementation of security commitments remain subject to future policy and circumstances.
- The full extent of Ukraine–UK defense and intelligence cooperation is not public.