Ukraine–United Kingdom relations

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British–Ukrainian relations
Map indicating locations of Ukraine and United Kingdom

Ukraine
United Kingdom

The Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom is Vadym Prystaiko,[1] and the British ambassador to Ukraine is Melinda Simmons who was appointed in 2019.[2]

Country comparison

Ukraine Ukraine United Kingdom United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Population 43,733,762 67,081,000[3]
Area 603,500 km2 (233,013 sq mi) 243,610 km2 (94,060 sq mi)
Population Density 72.5/km2 (187.7/sq mi) 278.7/km2 (721.7/sq mi)
Capital Kyiv London
Largest City Kyiv – 2,847,200 (3,275,000 Metro) London – 8,174,100 (14,372,596 Metro)[4]
Government Unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Current leader President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal 		Queen Elizabeth II
Prime Minister Boris Johnson
Official language Ukrainian (de facto and de jure) English (de facto)
Main religions 87.4% Christianity, 11% Unaffiliated, 0.4% Judaism, 0.1% Buddhism,
0.1% Hinduism, 0.1% Paganism, 0.1% Other (2018) 		59.4% Christianity, 25.7% Non-Religious, 7.8% Unstated, 4.4% Islam,
1.3% Hinduism, 0.7% Sikhism, 0.4% Judaism, 0.4% Buddhism (2011 Census)
Ethnic groups 77.8% Ukrainians, 17.3% Russians, 0.6% Belarusians, 0.5% Moldovans, 0.5% Crimean Tatars,
0.4% Bulgarians, 0.3% Hungarians, 0.3% Romanians, 0.3% Poles, 1.7% Others/Unspecified (2001 Census) 		87% White (81.9% White British), 7% Asian, 3% Black, 2% Mixed Race, 1% Others (2011 Census)
GDP (per capita) $8,668 $42,511
GDP (nominal) $130.7 billion $3.056 trillion

History

After World War II, work-permit schemes issued under the Attlee government (in office: 1945–1951) recruited Ukrainians to work in the mills of Lancashire and in the greenhouses of the Lea Valley (Middlesex/Essex). Large numbers of Ukrainians (mainly displaced persons from camps in Germany) arrived in the UK. Ukrainians were integrated into the UK as European Voluntary Workers, while Ukrainian POWs from the Polish and German armies were also demobilized and settled in the major cities of the UK.

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher visited Ukraine in June 1990 when it was part of the Soviet Union.

Ukrainian Independence

After the division of the country into republics and regions, and later in 1991 after the collapse of the country (USSR) into several countries and their independence the UK recognized the independence of Ukraine on 31 December 1991. After Ukrainian Independence from the Soviet Union in August 1991, diplomatic relations between Ukraine and the United Kingdom were established on 10 January 1992. Ukraine opened an Embassy in London in October 1992 and a Consulate General in Edinburgh in February 2002. The UK Consulate-General in Kyiv opened in November 1991 and became the Embassy in January 1992.[5]

Until 2005, the Presidents of Ukraine twice paid visits to the UK − in February 1993 and December 1995. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom visited Ukraine in April 1996. The intensity of bilateral contacts at all levels boosted during 2008–2009. In particular, the President of Ukraine Victor Yuschenko visited the UK three times: in May, October 2008 and January 2009. As the result of the visit in May 2008, the Joint Statement that officially declared the strategic nature of Ukrainian-British relations was issued.[5]

Since the establishment of bilateral relations in Ukrainian-British communication, a dispute over nuclear weapons has emerged as the cornerstone. Britain, as one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council and a member of the nuclear club, was extremely sensitive to Ukraine inheriting from the USSR the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world, far exceeding Britain's arsenal. Thus the UK was one of three main initiators for signing the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances and one of three main security guarantors of the countries that agreed to get rid of the nuclear arsenal, in particular, Ukraine. The document refers to three identical political agreements signed at the OSCE conference in Budapest, Hungary on 5 December 1994, providing security assurances by its signatories relating to the accession of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The memorandum was originally signed by three nuclear powers, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. China and France gave somewhat weaker individual assurances in separate documents.[6]

Following the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014, the UK,[7] along with other countries,[8] stated that Russian involvement was a breach of its obligations to Ukraine under the Budapest Memorandum, a Memorandum transmitted to the United Nations under the signature of Sergei Lavrov, amongst others,[9] and in violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague with Ukrainian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Leonid Kozhara, in London, 13 May 2013.

Relations between the United Kingdom and Ukraine are currently very close,[10] there are regular bilateral visits between the countries and political dialogue covers the full range of international issues.[10]

Since the beginning of the Ukrainian revolution and Pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine, the United Kingdom has actively supported Ukraine and publicly condemned Russian actions. The UK supports Ukraine in becoming a member of the EU and NATO.[10][11] In this context London has implemented a series of sanctions and restrictive measures both in unilateral and multilateral formats.

Since the beginning of 2014 the following meetings have taken place: the meeting between Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatseniuk and British Foreign Secretary William Hague during the FS visit to Ukraine (3 March), Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk's meeting with UK Prime Minister David Cameron on the sidelines of the EU Summit in Brussels (6 March); meeting between the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko with the UK Prime Minister David Cameron during the commemorations of 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings, as well as a number of meetings at the level of foreign ministers of the two countries (3 March, 7 May, 23 June).[5]

On February 12, 2015, the second Minsk Protocol were signed. These are their proper names, but they consist of two documents: "The Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements" and "The Declaration in Support of the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Protocol, adopted on February 12, 2015" to prevent an armed conflict inside Ukraine between military personnel subordinate to the central government and citizens of the eastern part of Ukraine: Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic.[12]

In November 2021, the UK and Ukraine signed a deal for the UK to enhance Ukraine's naval capabilities with new mine countermeasure vessels, missile boats, frigates and other naval equipment in response to a buildup of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border.[13]

Military cooperation and NATO

The United Kingdom and Ukraine are both part of increased military cooperation and training programs as part of a long-term NATO exercise.[14] In June 2020, NATO formally recognised Ukraine as an Enhanced Opportunities Partner, a status given to countries that have made significant contributions to NATO-led operations and missions.[15][16] British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace welcomed the decision and praised current ongoing military training programs between both countries.[17]

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Main article: 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the UK provided Ukraine substantial support in the form of defensive military aid (including around 2,000 NLAW anti-tank missile systems), humanitarian aid and retaliatory economic sanctions against Russia. Prior to this, it had trained around 22,000 Ukrainians as part of Operation Orbital. The Royal Air Force also flew surveillance aircraft to collect intelligence on Russian ground movements.[18]

On 18 March 2022, Ukrainian respondents voted the UK the third most-supportive country to Ukraine after Poland and Lithuania in a poll carried out by Rating Group.[19]

In response to the Russian military build-up proceeding the invasion, on 17 February 2022, the UK, Poland and Ukraine launched a Trilateral Memorandum of Co-operation to strengthen strategic cooperation between the three countries.[20] In a poll published by Rating Group, Ukrainian respondents voted in favour of closer ties to Poland and the UK as opposed to NATO membership.[19]

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov praised the UK’s efforts to support Ukraine during an official visit to the UK on 20 March 2022. He stated: "We greatly appreciate that this year, Britain was the first to provide us with serious weapons that have increased our defence capabilities. Your role is special, and your courage and your spirit are in stark contrast with the passivity of some other countries."[21]

On 7 May 2022, Britain announced that it would contribute another 1.3 billion pounds ($1.60 billion) in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, ahead of a planned video conversation between Group of Seven leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.[22]

Cultural and economic relations

The United Kingdom is a major trade partner of Ukraine, it is the fifth-largest investor in Ukraine.[23]

The 2001 Census recorded 11,913 people born in Ukraine resident in the United Kingdom.[24] A large number of Ukrainians living in Britain are Ukrainian Catholics, under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London, whilst many other Ukrainian Britons are Jews.

Embassies and consulates

The Embassy of Ukraine in London..
The Ukrainian Consulate in London.

The Embassy of Ukraine is located in the Holland Park neighbourhood of London in the UK. The Embassy of United Kingdom is located in Kyiv in Ukraine.

Ukraine also operates consulates in the Notting Hill neighbourhood of London and in Edinburgh.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Andrii Kuzmenko". Embassy of Ukraine to the United Kingdom. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  2. ^ "British Embassy Kyiv". FCO.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  3. ^ "UK Population Estimates ( June 2021) - Office of National Statistics".
  4. ^ "Metropolitan Area Populations". Eurostat. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "Political issues between Ukraine and Great Britain". Embassy of Ukraine to the United Kingdom. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  6. ^ Vasylenko, Volodymyr (15 December 2009). "On assurances without guarantees in a 'shelved document'". The Day. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  7. ^ Stevenson, Chris; Williams, Oscar (1 March 2014). "Ukraine crisis: David Cameron joins Angela Merkel in expressing anxiety and warns that 'the world is watching'". The Independent.
  8. ^ Fisher, Matthew (24 March 2014). "Russia suspended from G8 over annexation of Crimea, Group of Seven nations says". National Post. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  9. ^ "Letter dated 94/12/07 from the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation, Ukraine, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General" (PDF). United Nations. 19 December 1994. hdl:11176/44537. A/49/765; S/1994/1399. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  10. ^ a b c Political relations
  11. ^ Joint Statement by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Victor Yushchenko
  12. ^ "Ukraine's self-proclaimed republics' leaders say Minsk agreements do not work". TASS. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  13. ^ "Ukraine to benefit from new hardware in UK defence deal". BFBS. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Operation Orbital: The British Troops Training Ukraine in Trench Warfare".
  15. ^ "NATO recognises Ukraine as Enhanced Opportunities Partner".
  16. ^ "NATO designates Ukraine as Enhanced Opportunities Partner | KyivPost - Ukraine's Global Voice". 12 June 2020.
  17. ^ "Defence Secretary welcomes Ukraine receiving NATO Enhanced Opportunity Partner status".
  18. ^ "Who has given what to help Ukraine?". UK Defence Journal. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  19. ^ a b "П'ЯТЕ ЗАГАЛЬНОНАЦІОНАЛЬНЕ ОПИТУВАННЯ: УКРАЇНА В УМОВАХ ВІЙНИ (18 БЕРЕЗНЯ 2022)". РЕЙТИНГ (in Ukrainian). 18 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  20. ^ "United Kingdom, Poland and Ukraine foreign ministers' joint statement, February 2022". GOV.UK. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  21. ^ "Ukraine accuses Russia of state terrorism". BBC News. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  22. ^ "UK to provide 1.3 billion pounds of further military support to Ukraine". Reuters. Reuters. Reuters. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  23. ^ Country Profile: Ukraine
  24. ^ "Country-of-birth database". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 2008-12-03.

External links

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