Boris Johnson and Zelenskyy during the former's visit to Ukraine twenty three days before the invasion, 1 February 2022
In November 2021,Prime MinisterBoris Johnson warned that the European Union faces "a choice" between "sticking up for Ukraine" and approving theNord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Europe.[5]
In early 2022 thenforeign secretaryLiz Truss turned her attention towards abuild-up of Russian troops near theRussia–Ukraine border.[6] Truss supported a plan whichdeclassified a large amount of intelligence on Russia, releasing it to the public for the first time in order to weaken the Russian government in the event of an invasion.[6] On 10 February 2022 she met the Russian foreign ministerSergey Lavrov in Moscow, becoming the first British minister to go on a diplomatic trip there since the2018 Salisbury poisonings.[7] The meeting was, according to Payne, a "disaster": Lavrov described it as being "between the dumb and the deaf", and the two ministers spoke over each other and found it difficult to communicate.[8][9][10] Five days later, Truss stated that the world was on the "brink of war in Europe",[11] which transpired in the early hours of 24 February asRussia invaded Ukraine.[12] Before the invasion and during its immediate aftermath, Truss advocated forsanctions on Russia and encouraged otherG7 leaders to impose them;[13] in March 2022 she stated that the sanctions would end only in the event of a "full ceasefire and withdrawal".[14] Johnson praised Truss's actions, saying that "she was always terrific on Ukraine... other governmentsfaffed around... she was very clear and focused".[15]
During theprelude to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Johnson's government warned the Russian Government not to invadeDonbas.[16][17][18] Johnson andVladimir Putin agreed in a phone call to work towards a "peaceful resolution".[19] On 1 February 2022, Johnson arrived inKyiv on a diplomatic visit.[20] He called the presence of theRussian Armed Forces near theRussia–Ukraine border "the biggest security crisis that Europe has faced for decades".[21] The Kremlin denied that it wanted to attack Ukraine.[21] On 20 February 2022, Johnson warned that Russia is planning the "biggest war in Europe since1945" as Putin intends to invade and encircle Kyiv.[22] On 21 February 2022, Johnson condemnedRussia's diplomatic recognition of twoself-proclaimed republics in Donbas.[23]
Boris Johnson walks on a street of war-hitKyiv along Zelenskyy on 10 April 2022.
Johnson condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and ensured the UK joined ininternational sanctions on Russian banks andoligarchs.[24] He later announced the UK would phase outRussian oil by the end of 2022.[25] On 9 April 2022, Johnson travelled to Kyiv and met thePresident of Ukraine,Volodymyr Zelenskyy.[26] On 16 April 2022, Russia'sMinistry for Foreign Affairs banned Johnson and a number of senior British politicians from visiting Russia, saying that Britain aimed to isolate Russia politically and supply "the Kyiv regime with lethal weapons and coordinating similar efforts on the part of NATO".[27]
Within Ukraine, Johnson is praised by many as a supporter of anti-Russian sanctions andmilitary aid for Ukraine.[28] On 3 May, Johnsonvirtually addressed theUkrainian Parliament, becoming the first world leader to speak in Ukraine since the invasion. He pledged an extra £300m in military aid to Ukraine, praised Ukraine's resistance to Russia as its "finest hour" and said that the West had been "too slow to grasp what was actually happening" prior to Russia's invasion.[29][30] In July 2022, Johnson warned that it would be a mistake to cease fire andfreeze the conflict.[31] In August 2022, Johnson blamed Putin for the emergingglobal energy crisis.[32]
Following the15 November missile explosion in Poland,Rishi Sunak met U.S. PresidentJoe Biden and delivered a speech.[33] and later met Zelenskyy, and pledged to give Ukraine £50 million in aid. After meeting Zelenskyy, Sunak said: "I am proud of how theUK stood with Ukraine from the very beginning. And I am here today to say the UK and our allies will continue to stand with Ukraine, as it fights to end this barbarous war and deliver a just peace."[34] Sunak visited Ukraine on 12 January 2024 to sign a new U.K.-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation with Zelenskyy promising £2.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including long-range missiles, artillery ammunition, air defence and maritime security, in addition to £200 million to be spent on military drones, making the United Kingdom the largest deliverer of drones to Ukraine out of any nation according to Downing Street.[35]
David Cameron made his first working visit to Ukraine as foreign secretary on 16 November, meeting Zelenskyy in Kyiv, where he reiterated the UK's commitment to provide moral, diplomatic and "above all military support for... however long it takes".[36] Cameron supported the February 2024 US Senate bill to allocate military aid to Ukraine Taiwan and Israel, saying that he did not want the West to "show weakness displayed againstVladimir Putin in 2008, when heinvaded Georgia, or the uncertainty of the response in 2014, when hetook Crimea andmuch of the Donbas—before coming back to cost us far more with his aggression in 2022".[37]
During the prelude to the Russian invasion of Ukraine,Keir Starmer met withSecretary General of NATOJens Stoltenberg and said in an interview with the BBC that his predecessorJeremy Corbyn was "wrong" to be a critic of NATO and that the Labour Party's commitment to NATO was "unshakeable"; he added that "stand united in the UK ... Whatever challenges we have with the [Boris Johnson's] government, when it comes to Russian aggression we stand together."[38] Starmer called for "widespread and hard-hitting" economicsanctions against Russia.[39] He also criticised theStop the War Coalition in anop-ed forThe Guardian, writing that the group's members were "not benign voices for peace" but rather "[a]t best they are naive, at worst they actively give succour to authoritarian leaders" such as Putin "who directly threaten democracies."[40] In February 2023 he met Zelenskyy, and pledged support for Ukraine during the Russian invasion of the country; Starmer promised that if he became prime minister, there would be no change in Britain's position on the war in Ukraine.[41][42] He also called for Russian leaders, including Putin, to be tried atThe Hague for crimes against humanity.[43][44] Starmer supported theInternational Criminal Court's issuance of anarrest warrant for Putin, after he wasindicted in the ICC.[45]
In January 2025, Starmer announced that the UK would provide £4.5 billion in military support to Ukraine throughout 2025.[48] He announced more military support for 2025 than in any previous year, including 150 artillery barrels and a new mobile air defence system calledGravehawk. On 16 January 2025, Starmer and Zelenskyy signed a landmark 100-Year Partnership Agreement in Kyiv.[49]
In October 2025, Ukrainian forces successfully used British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to strike a chemical plant inBryansk, Russia.[50] In December 2025, the Ukrainian military successfully targeted theNovoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia's Rostov region using Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles.[51]
Starmer has actively urged NATO allies to "ramp up" the provision of long-range weapons.[52] In 2025, Starmer's government significantly expanded the UK's commitment to Storm Shadow missiles through both replenishment of national stockpiles and new supplies for Ukraine.[53] In late 2025, he hosted the "coalition of the willing" in London to push for increased deep-strike capabilities.[54]
In December 2025, Lance Corporal George Hooley, a member of theParachute Regiment died in Ukraine during a test of Ukrainian weapons whichBBC News reported was said to be an armed interceptor drone.[55][56] It is the first time a Parachute Regiment member had been confirmed in Ukraine;The i Paper reported he was working for theSpecial Forces Support Group.[57]
Zelenskyy addressing Members of Parliament from Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament
On 8 February 2023, Zelenskyy visited the United Kingdom. During his trip, Zelenskyy met Sunak. He also addressed Members of Parliament from Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament and had an audience withKing Charles III. It was Zelenskyy's second trip outside Ukraine since the beginning of theRussian invasion of Ukraine, after hisDecember 2022 visit to the United States.[58][59][60][61]
On 15 May 2023, Zelenskyy arrived atChequers in the United Kingdom and met with Sunak.[62] The first world leader Sunak hosted at Chequers, the two embraced in the garden before holding two-hour-long talks inside.[63] The two discussed fighter jet shipments, while Sunak promised more unmanned aerial drones and air defense missiles, includingStorm Shadow cruise missiles.[64]
As of December 2025, the UK Government had committed £21.8 billion of support for Ukraine, £13 billion in military support, up to £5.3 billion in non-military support, and £3.5 billion ofUK Export Finance. In addition it has stated it will sustain £3 billion a year in military aid until 2031, and 229,900Ukrainian refugees have been supported in the UK. The UK has also made a loan of £2.26 billion to Ukraine as its share of theG7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration $50 billion loan. Some UK MOD military equipment has been gifted to Ukraine, which may need to be replenished at additional cost; £2 billion to replenish ammunition stocks and improve the munitions infrastructure was announcedin March 2023.[65][66]
£100 million of humanitarian aid announced on 23 February 2022.[67]
£40 million additional humanitarian aid announced on 27 February 2022.[68]
Additional £80 million in aid to help Ukraine deal withhumanitarian crisis on 1 March 2022.[69]
£4 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine on 28 February 2022.[70]
In co-operation with Australia the United Kingdom will send hygiene kits, solar lights, kitchen sets and blankets along with other basic necessities to displaced Ukrainians.[71]
UK announced the donation of a "fleet of ambulances" to Ukraine, on 6 April 2022.[72]
UK announced the amount it had donated through multilateral donor conferences for humanitarian aid totalled £394m so far on 9 April.[73]
On 6 May, theBritish government pledged £45 million to UN and humanitarian groups in and around Ukraine and additional medical supplies.[74]
As of 20 May, the British government has donated 11.07 million items of medicine and medical equipment to Ukraine.[75]
4 July – The UK pledged to donate £10m for repairs to the Ukraine energy grid and for reconnecting homes and to guarantee £41m ofEuropean Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) loans toUkrenergo, the Ukrainian national grid operator. The UK also committed an undisclosed sum to immediate life-saving assistance and demining operations through the £37m raised by the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine multi-donor fund.[76] The Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine was launched by the UK in December 2021 with the aim to raise £35m from donors over the next three years for support in the conflict ravaged areas of Ukraine, it is supported by Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.[77]
On 15 July, the British government provided a £2.5 million package for the training of judges and forensic experts and for sending teams to the scenes of allegedRussian war crimes to aid Ukrainian prosecutors.[78]
On 19 August, the UK pledged £15m of funding to support the basic needs of 200,000 refugees in Ukraine and Poland.[79]
In conjunction with Poland, the United Kingdom support (£10m funding) the building of two villages in Western and central Ukraine for internally displaced civilians (March 2023).[81]
£2 million worth of medical equipment including ventilators, oxygen concentrators, suction pumps, patient monitors, volumetric pumps and heated humidifiers donated 5 April 2024.[90]
£20 million for the Ukraine Energy Support Fund announced 8 May 2024.[91]
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