Ukraine, UK sign security agreement

KIEV, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and visiting UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed a security agreement on Friday, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

The guarantees prescribed in the 10-year agreement will be in place until Ukraine joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Zelensky said.

"We agreed with Britain on security in all areas -- on the land, in the air, at sea and in cyberspace," Zelensky noted.

According to the president, the deal covers issues related to weapons, sanctions, Ukraine's border and post-conflict recovery.

For his part, Sunak said that under the deal, the UK will provide Ukraine with weapons, including naval weapons, and force Russia "to pay the economic price" for conflict with Ukraine.

Sunak, who arrived in Kiev earlier in the day, also pledged that the UK will provide 2.5 billion pounds (about 3.2 billion U.S. dollars) in fresh defense aid to Ukraine.

The aid would cover anti-tank weapons, missiles, artillery shells, and military training for Ukrainian troops, he said.