U.K. opens purse strings, talks on visa liberalization with Ukraine

The U.K. is increasing the amount of trade finance for
British exporters in Ukraine by GBP 1 bln, Foreign Secretarty Liz Truss
announced on Dec. 8. The announcement came as part of Ukrainian Foreign
Minister Dmytro Kuleba’s visit to London. The amount raises the overall trade
support available through UK Export Finance to GBP 3.5 billion, according to
gov.uk. President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted that, “this is new investment,
trade, and security. It is a result of my discussion with Boris Johnson.”

Ukraine and the U.K. will continue to discuss further
visa liberalization and, “if appropriate, we will take gradual steps to
simplify the travel regime between our countries”. Currently, there is no
permanent visa-free status for UK citizens coming to Ukraine; the status is
renewed on a yearly basis.

James Hydzik: The
continued crawl toward visa liberalization might speed up a little as the U.K.
needs laborers, but is still loath to discuss letting in the EU citizens who
had been there before Brexit.

Regarding the GBP 1 billion, there is nothing from
President Zelensky’s announcement that helps the reader understand that this is
for outward UK investment. Truss was explicit in stating that this is a big
help for British exporters.