Johnson, Morawiecki visit Kyiv to bolster support and trade

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Kyiv on
Feb. 1 in a display of support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. A
joint statement on president.gov.ua reiterates the U.K.’s ongoing support for
Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. Moreover, it
states that “any further Russian incursion into Ukraine would be a massive
strategic mistake”. Johnson also announced GBP 88 mln of new funding for
strengthening Ukraine’s resilience, especially in the energy sector.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also visited
Kyiv on Feb. 1 to cap an intergovernmental working session that settled matters
such as truck transit on the Polish-Ukrainian border and discussions on
regional security.

One element of the two Prime Ministers’ visits that
did not occur was the announcement of a tri-partite agreement. Foreign Minister
Dmytro Kuleba posted on Facebook on Feb. 1 that an alliance between Ukraine,
the United Kingdom, and Poland had been in the works since October driven by him
and his counterparts, Liz Truss and Zbigniew Rau. Truss was diagnosed with
COVID on Feb. 1, and the official announcement will be made after her recovery.

Kuleba noted that the alliance is part of Ukraine’s
new strategic direction of multiple smaller agreements instead of focusing
solely on large organizations such as NATO and the EU.

James Hydzik: While
Morawiecki’s and Johnson’s visit is an impressive part of an unparalleled
diplomatic effort on the part of Ukraine’s allies to reduce the likelihood of a
further Russian invasion, the deeper effect can be found in the application of
Ukraine’s foreign policy direction.

A multilateral and small-agreement approach has been
talked about in bureaucratic circles for months, and Kuleba notes that it
builds on the Baltic-Black Sea axis, often called Intermaria, that has been
posited since Maidan. Kuleba points out that the new grouping adds the Atlantic
to the mix, and with it, new possibilities. The increasing agility of the
Foreign Ministry and understanding that Ukraine must work with the willing
opens doors as well.