KYIV: Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged on Thursday to work with Ukraine and allies to offer Kyiv robust security guarantees if a ceasefire is negotiated with Russia, offering more support to President Volodymyr Zelensky with a 100-year partnership deal.

In his first trip to Ukraine since becoming prime minister in July last year, Starmer was keen to underline Britain`s support for the nation just days before Donald Trump returns to power in the United States.

In talks punctuated by the sound of a loud explosion from Ukraine`s air defences shooting down a Russian drone above the presidential palace, Zelensky said he had spoken to Starmer about Kyiv`s desire for Western peacekeeping troops to be deployed in Ukraine in the event of peace.

Starmer said Britain would look at `the practical ways to get a just and lasting peace ... that guarantees your security, your independence and your right to choose your own future`, but declined to go into any details of which measures he supported.

`We will work with you and all of our allies on steps that would be robust enough to guarantee Ukraine`s security,` Starmer told a press conference alongside Zelensky.-Reuters