Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom Vadym Prystaiko, on behalf of the Cabinet of Ministers, signed a Ukrainian-British framework agreement providing for the allocation of funds for the construction of eight missile boats, the acquisition of two minesweepers from the United Kingdom, and the creation of two naval bases in Ukraine, the ZN.UA publication said on Saturday.
The signed agreement details the financial side of the agreements, that is the loan totaling GBP 1.7 billion provided to Ukraine by the U.K. for ten years.
Thanks to the U.K., Ukraine covers the primary needs of the country’s naval forces, which must be ready to contain Russia’s aggression from the Black and Azov Seas, ZN.UA said.
Agreements on the development and strengthening of the Ukrainian Navy were reached a year ago. During the last year’s visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to London, a memorandum on strengthening cooperation between Ukraine and the United Kingdom in the military and military-technical sectors was signed. The memorandum stipulated the raising of financing from the UK’s export credit agency in the amount of GBP 1.25 billion. In the summer 2021, in Odesa, a memorandum on maritime partnership projects between the consortium of British industry and the Ukrainian Navy was signed.
