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The International Agreements Committee publishes its report on the UK-Ukraine One Hundred Year Partnership Agreement to the House of Lords for special attention.

• Report: UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership Agreement (HTML)
• Report: UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership Agreement (PDF)
• Inquiry: UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership Agreement
• International Agreements Committee

Background

The One Hundred Year Partnership Agreement puts in place a legally-binding framework covering a broad range of areas from defence and maritime security, to trade and investment and energy cooperation.

Key points

The report makes the following points about the One Hundred Year Partnership Agreement: 

• While the Committee welcomes the Government’s stated aim for the Partnership to provide stability and structure to an enduring UK-Ukraine relationship, we find merit in the argument that the title is rather meaningless and risks distracting attention from the substance of the Partnership.
• We welcome the Government’s aim that this Agreement, alongside other measures, should offer a framework to build an effective deterrence to future Russian aggression. We ask for greater detail about the types of activity that might be undertaken under the Agreement, including a timeline, and reassurance as to what benefit they will provide to the UK.
• We emphasise that any maritime and naval support should contribute to the overall security of the region.
• We suggest that the Government keep this Agreement under review to ensure that it is utilised in an effective, resource efficient manner, while also keeping in mind risks to the UK. In the event of a settlement between Russia and Ukraine, we recommend the Government undertake a formal review of the arrangements set out in the One Hundred Year Partnership Agreement and Declaration to ensure it is compatible with the outcome.
• We welcome the support for the development of Ukraine's financial centre and business environment through sustained UK business access included in the Partnership. In support of this aim, we encourage the Government to continue to work closely with their Ukrainian counterparts on governance reforms and strengthening the rule of law.
• We welcome the Government's commitment to pursuing accountability for crimes committed during the conflict in Ukraine, in particular through its support for the efforts of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General and the ICC.

Chair’s comments

The Rt Hon. Lord Goldsmith KC, Chair of the House of Lords International Agreements Committee, said:

“This Agreement was laid before Parliament in the context of a rapidly changing geopolitical environment as regards Ukraine's future. The situation has continued to develop and has moved substantially even in the period between our taking evidence and the publication of this report. This report focuses specifically on the Agreement, rather than commenting on wider events, but we do suggest that the Government formally reviews the arrangements in the event of a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine. 

“With this in mind, we would like to note from the outset, that we welcome the Government's ongoing support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, its position on security guarantees and a US backstop, and its commitment to future domestic defence spending. We believe that these combine to create a necessary backdrop to this Agreement. 

“In this report, we focus on aspects of the Agreement which we feel have some potential to deliver benefits, or are potentially consequential for the UK. We stress that in order for any such benefits to be realised, a clear and realistic roadmap will have to be put in place to deliver on these benefits. This roadmap is currently lacking. We also found merit in the argument we heard from witnesses that the title is rather meaningless, and risks distracting attention from the substance of the Partnership. 

“We report the UK-Ukraine One Hundred Year Partnership Agreement to the House for special attention and debate, in light of the heightened political interest in events in Ukraine and the UK-Ukraine relationship.”

Further information

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