The Kyiv–London 100-Year Partnership: Oaks, Docklands and Shared Ambitions

One hundred years is an unusual horizon for an international treaty as this timeframe extends well beyond any political cycles, terms of office, or even entire generations. That is why Ukraine and Great Britain’s decision to measure their alliance by a century is not merely a diplomatic gesture, but a move that raises a deeply practical question: what needs to fuel this partnership to make it truly last for decades?

During a working visit to Great Britain by Deloitte’s Ukrainian colleagues, one of the photographs was taken against the backdrop of an old oak tree. This photograph turned out to be a remarkably fitting metaphor for a century-long partnership: an oak outlives those who planted it, yet its future depends on the soil in which it takes root and on the efforts of those who nurture its growth.

Old oak near the Palace of Westminster in London. Photo by the authors.

On 16 January 2025, Ukraine and the United Kingdom signed the One Hundred Year Partnership Agreement. It covers much more than defense, security, and other support for Ukraine during the war, laying the foundation for long-term cooperation in many fields including the economy and trade, energy, justice, science and technologies, education, culture, and people-to-people ties. In March 2026, the UK–Ukraine Strategic Dialogue provided an additional framework for implementing these initiatives. As a result, business relations between the two countries are gradually moving from the level of political declarations toward practical cooperation.

Partnership gaining real substance

One of the partnership’s most significant pillars is defense and security. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Great Britain has consistently remained one of Ukraine’s key partners. At the same time, what matters is not only the assistance it provides, but also its readiness to act ahead of a broader international consensus.

Today, this moral and political leadership is evolving into long-term institutional cooperation with Ukraine. The 100-year partnership provides for annual military assistance of no less than £3 billion until 2030/31, and thereafter for as long as needed. It also includes joint weapons production, the development of defense technologies, the exchange of experience, training, and the integration of the defense industries of both countries. Combating foreign propaganda, information manipulation, and interference is another dedicated area of cooperation. This is the cognitive domain of modern warfare, a concept that has gained widespread recognition both in Ukraine and globally in recent years.

This bilateral agreement is already producing tangible results. Great Britain has announced the delivery of hundreds of thousands of drones, artillery munitions, and missiles, as well as the completion of training for thousands of Ukrainian service members. In parallel, joint technological projects and intellectual property exchanges are being implemented, which creates opportunities for the production of certain systems both in Ukraine and Great Britain. Ukraine is also contributing in meaningful ways. Specifically, Ukraine has granted Great Britain access—making the UK the first international partner to receive such access—to the Ukrainian platform Avengers AI Labs, which is a vast repository of real battlefield data collected through thousands of cameras and sensors and used to train artificial intelligence models. This data helps systematize front-line experience in detecting and identifying military equipment, drones, and other targets in combat conditions.

London remains one of the most important centers for coordination of international support for Ukraine

Today, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between the public and commercial dimensions of the defense partnership. A joint defense industrial ecosystem is gradually materializing around military assistance. In July 2026, the British Government reported that more than 40 major UK–Ukraine industrial partnerships were already in place. A dedicated UK–Ukraine Business Centre is being established in Kyiv to give British defense companies a permanent presence in Ukraine and to facilitate their direct cooperation with Ukraine’s defense industry.

This is a compelling example of how strategic relations between the states can evolve. Government arrangements lay the foundation for creating new enterprises, contracts, and professional networking, while also enabling the development and testing of new technologies.

Going beyond defense

However, it would be a mistake to view the 100-year partnership solely through the lens of defense. Its economic dimension explicitly involves support for reforms, the development of business-to-business ties and trade missions, as well as greater access to financing, capital markets, insurance, and professional services.

This cooperation is already materializing across a range of sectors. In its published materials devoted to the implementation of this historic agreement, the British Government highlights cooperation between British and Ukrainian companies in industrial production and renewable energy, as well as growing intergovernmental collaboration.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and other British institutions involved in international assistance operate in Ukraine not only through humanitarian initiatives, but also through programmes supporting public sector capacity building, economic reforms, local governance, and resilience. In 2026, the United Kingdom continues to implement institutional support programmes for Ukraine. In particular, the third phase of the , aimed at supporting governance and economic reforms, concluded in the first half of 2026. At the same time, cooperation on institutional development continues through other UK programmes supporting Ukraine.

Additionally, in February 2026, Great Britain formally opened the British Embassy Office in Lviv. The British Government directly linked this event to the implementation of the One Hundred Year Partnership Agreement, the development of trade and economic ties, and Ukraine’s future reconstruction.

From state-to-state partnership to partnerships between their people, institutions, and business

States set the framework for cooperation, institutions make its implementation predictable, and businesses shape economic priorities and commercial interests. However, without the people who actually build trust and forge connections, any long-term strategic relationship is unlikely to succeed.

It is this human dimension that has gained particular importance since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, when Great Britain welcomed a significant number of Ukrainians forced to leave their homes. Some of these people will eventually return to Ukraine, while others will remain in Great Britain. Yet the experience they have gained from living between the two countries will continue to bring the states closer together. Ukrainians in Great Britain are already developing professional, entrepreneurial, educational, and cultural ties while maintaining family, personal, and economic relations with Ukraine. Over time, this network could evolve into the most resilient practical foundation of friendship between the two countries, supporting trade and investment, knowledge sharing, joint projects, and a better understanding between their societies.

In this context, working meetings between Deloitte’s Ukrainian and British colleagues are a small but meaningful part of a much broader process of building extensive horizontal connections.

If the state-to-state partnership is expected to span a century and, among other things, to further reinforce the long-term prospects of Ukrainian statehood through diplomatic commitments, the quality of Ukraine’s own institutions becomes one of the key issues. Support for the creation and development of sustainable ecosystems is a central theme of the agreement between Ukraine and Great Britain.

Ukraine, however, needs not only capital for reconstruction, but also an enabling environment where those investments can perform effectively. This requires investment protection, predictable regulation, effective mechanisms for resolving commercial disputes, strong corporate governance, transparent procurement, war risk insurance, clear rules for public-private partnerships, and structured interaction with international donors.

London Docklands: Reconstruction as Economic Transformation

During the same trip, the Deloitte Ukraine team also visited the London Museum Docklands. This provided a second symbolic image. If the old oak tree evokes the time horizon of the partnership, the London Docklands illustrates something else: even infrastructure with a long and eventful history can lose its original function and—after a period of transformation—take on a new role.

A section of the exhibition at the London Museum Docklands. Photo by the authors.

A section of the exhibition at the London Museum Docklands. Photo by the authors.

A model ship in the exhibition at the London Museum Docklands. Photo by the authors.

A wooden boat in the exhibition at the London Museum Docklands. Photo by the authors.

In the 19th century, London’s docks were among the world’s major trade hubs. During World War II, the area was brought to ruin. In the post-war years, the port complex was rebuilt. However, within a few decades, the rapid development of containerization and changes in global logistics made its economic model unviable.

One might have thought that the Docklands had lost its purpose. Today, however, the Isle of Dogs—the geographic heart of the former London Port area—is home to Canary Wharf, one of the largest financial and business districts not only in the UK but in the world. Once the beating heart of global maritime trade, it is where international financial institutions, banks, technology giants, and leading professional services firms are now headquartered, making it a pivotal hub where global capital and knowledge converge.

Modern development near West India Quay. Photo by the authors.

For Ukraine, it is not the literal transformation of the London Docklands that matters, but rather the principle behind it, which demonstrates that rebuilding a country does not necessarily mean restoring its economy to the way it was before the war. Devastated and economically weakened territories can be revitalized by taking on new functions. Industrial regions and cities can develop new manufacturing clusters, technology hubs, and professional service centers.

Military technologies being developed today out of necessity may one day pave the way for a new export-oriented economy. Likewise, simplified rules, government incentives, and innovative cooperation mechanisms that have emerged—often as an experiment—during the war may well become the new normal and evolve into the world’s best practices. This experience and this knowledge represent a logical and important contribution by Ukraine to this state-to-state partnership.

However, such a transformation of a country cannot be achieved through construction alone. Physical infrastructure must be supported by an effective institutional environment, including a sound legal framework, financing, education, professional services, local governance, and trust in the rules of the game.

For Tax & Legal, this is a particularly important pillar of the 100-year partnership. The significant part of the infrastructure of the future economy will not be physical. It will comprise a legal and tax framework, financial mechanisms, regulation, and institutions—all designed to command investor trust. And this is where the British expertise may prove just as valuable as British capital.

The hundred years start now

The partnership between Ukraine and Great Britain is unique above all because of its scale. It is not simply a partnership between two states, but a deep network of connections between their people, businesses, and institutions. The very first year has shown how a political agreement can gradually take shape through concrete projects and initiatives. The more connections are built, the less the relationship between the two countries will depend on individual governments, political cycles, or unforeseen crises.

And perhaps the most practical rationale behind a 100-year horizon truly lies in a simple idea: instead of trying to predict what Ukraine and Great Britain will be like in 2126 or planning every future project in advance, just start building a strong foundation today—each of us within our own sphere of activity—so that future generations find themselves beneath the shade of the mighty oak tree and have a lasting legacy to carry forward.

This story is made even more optimistic by the fact that the idea of long-term alliances is becoming increasingly widespread. Following the Ukrainian-British format, new strategic cooperation initiatives are emerging. On 10 September 2026, Ukraine and Canada signed a Declaration on a 100-Year Partnership, confirming their readiness to build relations not for the duration of political cycles, but for generations to come. This once again proves that a century does not begin in one hundred years. It begins now.